As the season comes to an end for the Bakersfield College men’s basketball team, there is reason to be optimistic about the team moving forward. “We are a young team so this season we suffered a couple of loses, but I think everyone is improving, so we can expect a really good future for this team,” says Renegade forward Paul Lafayette.
There is much to consider after the Renegades struggled all season to be consistent sitting at .500 with a 13-13 overall record and 3-8 in the Western State Conference South.
Was it the youth and inexperience that cost the Renegades a chance at a playoff berth? After beginning the season strong going 7-3 in the first 10 games, the Renegades have lost seven of their last 10 games and will most likely miss the playoffs.
With just one game remaining on the schedule and a young core of players being pushed to the limits by coach Rich Hughes on the sidelines, there is reason to believe that these Renegades will use this season not only as motivation, but also as a learning experience moving forward.
The team has fought hard all season, fought together, and fought for one another never giving up on themselves or their teammates.
The evidence was exposed in the Renegades home finale against Glendale College, a game in which the Renegades were overpowered in a loss by a final score of 83-50. Sure, the score indicates otherwise, but it wasn’t the score that caught the attention of basketball fans. It was the way that these Renegades lost that gave Renegade basketball fans hope.
The game looked over after Hughes stopped the clock with a 20-second timeout with 15:33 to play in the first half after the Renegades found themselves in a 12-2 hole. The Renegades responded with a quick stop and transition basket.
It was an uphill battle the rest of the night, but the Renegades never gave up. It was obvious that Glendale was much bigger inside controlling the paint and outrebounding BC 41-27, but the Renegades never gave up, they kept getting up and working hard.
The game had a boxing championship fight feel to it at the half with Alex Daniels laying on the floor with under 58 seconds left after a dunk attempt went wrong, Enoilio Silfa sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his right eye trying to keep the swelling down after an apparent elbow to the face by Glendale big man Gor Plavchyan earlier in the half, and you can’t forget Paul Lafayette battling three Vaqueros for a loose ball and ending up on the ground holding on to his left elbow.
Silfa also picked up a technical foul in the second half as things got heated between him and Plavchyan.
There was a fight in these Renegades that they will carry with them into the next game and into the next season that gives hope of a bright future.
Lawrence Moore ended the game as the leading scorer for the Renegades and the only player in double figures for the Renegades with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Corey Mitchell and Davonte Cleveland both contributed nine points for the Renegades.
The Renegades will finish the season with a road game against Antelope Valley College on Feb. 22.