Community College Basketball : Golden West Loses Its Touch, and Game

Golden West College suffered its worst shooting game of the season, but the Rustlers still looked as if they might beat Oxnard until the final 4 seconds Thursday in the first round of the Golden West men’s basketball tournament.

That was when Tony Fernandez made a 3-point basket to give Oxnard a 67-65 victory.

Golden West got the ball to Markus Muller-Stach, but his 3-point attempt rolled around and off the rim.

Golden West had taken a 65-64 lead on Dave Yamate’s 3-point basket with 10 seconds left. The shot came after Andy Beltowski missed a free throw and Golden West’s Alex Kreps got the rebound with 20 seconds left.

Golden West shot 29% (24 of 83) for the game and had fallen behind by as many as 13 in the first half.

Golden West (9-2), off to its best start in 5 seasons coming into the tournament, drops into the consolation bracket. The Rustlers play Antelope Valley at 4 p.m. today.

Antelope Valley lost to Glendale, 88-67, in the other first-round game Thursday.