A Win and Two Losses Mark the Start of Cypress’s Season

Starkey scored 53 points over the weekend.

Cypress finished the tournament in fourth.

November 11, 2007

box score - Cuesta
box score - West Valley
box score - West L.A.

San Luis Obispo, Calif. – Cypress kicked off their 2007-08 season Friday at the Cuesta Tournament with three straight games. The Chargers surprised host Cuesta Friday with a narrow 78-76 win before falling to West Valley 93-77 and West Los Angeles 65-47. Freshman forward Sean Starkey made an immediate impact scoring 53 points over the weekend including an impressive 28 point debut performance to lead Cypress to the win.

The Chargers faced host Cuesta to start the season and the tournament. The Chargers led by six in the first half before Cuesta came back to challenge Cypress. Cuesta’s effort was not enough as Cypress was able to pull out the two point win 78-76. Starkey led all scorers with 28 points in his collegiate debut in addition to six rebounds. Sophomore guards Eric Butler and Khalif Boyd followed with 17 and 14 points respectively. Freshman guard Justin Nguyen dished out six assists while adding ten points.

Cypress moved on to the quarterfinals of the tournament facing West Valley on Saturday. The Chargers were outmatched falling 93-77. Butler led the Chargers in scoring with 16 on the day along with five assists and four steals for a complete game. Freshman guard Devon McDonald followed Butler with 14 points and a team high seven rebounds. Boyd and Starkey added a combined 24 points.

The Chargers finished Sunday with the third place game against West Los Angeles. After an eight point deficit in the first half, Cypress was outscored by ten in the second losing 65-47. Starkey led all scorers with 14 while Butler followed with 10. McDonald led Cypress in rebounds with seven.

Cypress starts their season at 1-2 and has most of the week to prepare for their home opener on Thursday. The Chargers will host San Bernardino in their first home game. San Bernardino is coming off of a two point loss to Canyons Saturday. The two will meet at Cypress on Thursday at 7:00 pm.