Men's Basketball Clinches Fourth Straight WSC-South Title with 82–69 Win at Bakersfield

No. 3 in the state ranked Citrus College Men's Basketball traveled to Bakersfield College and defeated the Renegades 82–69, clinching their fourth consecutive Western State Conference–South title. The win improves the Owls to 25–1 overall and a perfect 12–0 in conference play, with just two conference games remaining.

Citrus built a 39–32 halftime lead thanks to balanced scoring and aggressive defense. Leo Ricketts, Amiri Meadows, and JJ Sanchez each contributed seven points, with Ricketts adding a three-pointer and five rebounds. Alek Sanchez came off the bench to score eight points, including two three-pointers, while Dev Hamilton and Rockwell Reynolds added four points each. The Owls shot 14-of-35 from the field (40%), hit 3-of-9 from three, and converted 8-of-9 free throws. They also dominated the boards with 18 rebounds, forced 11 steals, and limited the Renegades to 15 turnovers, maintaining a seven-point advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Owls extended thier lead behind strong performances from Ricketts and Reynolds. Ricketts scored 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including two three-pointers, and added six made free throws, while Reynolds contributed 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four rebounds. JJ Sanchez added four points and two assists, and key contributions off the bench from Dylan Victorio, Alek Sanchez, and Grayson Boustead combined for nine points and three rebounds. The Owls shot 45.2% from the field, connected on three more three-pointers, and made 12-of-19 free throws, while adding seven assists, eight steals, and 13 rebounds in the second half alone to push the margin.

Overall, Citrus shot 42.4% (28-of-66) from the field and 33.3% from three (6-of-18), converting 20-of-28 free throws (71.4%). They scored 38 points in the paint, added 21 from the bench, and generated 27 points off 28 forced turnovers, outpacing Bakersfield's 18 points off turnovers. Despite being outrebounded 50–36, the Owls controlled the game with timely shooting and built a largest lead of 17 points in the second half. The contest featured three ties and four lead changes, but Citrus steadily pulled away down the stretch.

Citrus' balanced attack was led by Leo Ricketts with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five steals. Rockwell Reynolds added 14 points and six rebounds, while Amiri Meadows contributed nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and four steals. JJ Sanchez chipped in 11 points with four assists and three steals, and Alek Sanchez added 11 points off the bench, hitting two three-pointers. Dev Hamilton scored four points with two rebounds, while Dylan Victorio and Grayson Boustead combined for six points and five rebounds.

Next, the Owls will host West Los Angeles College on Wednesday, February 18, in their final home regular-season game.