The Knights erased a 17-point second half deficit, but could not complete the comeback as West Los Angeles held on for a 74-71 win in the second round of the CCCAA Southern California Regionals.
Freshman guard Marcus Brumsey came off the bench to score 14 of his team-high 20 points in the first half to keep the Knights within striking distance as West L.A. caught fire early on.
The Wildcats connected on 7-of-13 from three-point territory in the first half, with five of them coming in the first nine minutes of the game.
West L.A. had a 35-25 halftime lead and came out firing once again at the start of the second half. They hit four three-pointers in the first 2:35 of the second half and extended their lead to 50-34.
The Knights were trailing, 63-47, with 8:49 remaining when Chris Burton made a three-pointer that sparked a 20-4 run. Burton, who had 15 points on the night, capped that run with a layup that tied the game at 67-67 with 1:20 left.
West L.A. guard Brandon Hood, who scored a game-high 28 points, was fouled on the other end and converted both free throws to give the Wildcats a two-point lead.
Brumsey had an opportunity to tie it after being fouled with :32 remaining, but missed 1-of-2 from the line.
Hood made four more free throws down the stretch and put the Wild cats ahead, 74-71, with :08 left on the clock.
With one last chance to force an overtime, Burton's fade-away three-pointer missed the mark and West L.A. hung on for the victory.
Jumah Sutton scored 15 points off the bench for the Knights to go with seven rebounds and four assists.
The Knights's bench outscored West L.A.'s, 39-11. The Knights also outscored the Wildcats, 42-16, on points in the paint, but West L.A. made 11-of-16 from three-point territory, while the Knights only converted 3-of-12.
Christian Jones recorded 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
The Knights finished the season with a 20-10 record and came in second in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.
