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Head Coach Craig McMillan hopes his Bear Cubs can find their direction at home as SRJC hosts the Kris Kringle Tourney

When the SRJC Mens Basketball team hosts its annual Kris Kringle Classic this week, they are hoping history will repeat itself.  Going into last year’s tournament the Bear Cubs had started the season 3-6.   There was no indication of what was about to happen, until the Classic.  SRJC swept through the tournament to even its record and they were off and running, they didn’t stop until they took their first ever Mens Basketball State Championship.
SRJC has a had a better record than they have this season at 4-6.  It was said last year’s start was because of a tougher than normal schedule.  The same can be said this year.  Four of the six losses are to teams in the top 20 in the state rankings.  Two of those are to No. 1 Mt. San Antonio, who at 11-0 and is one of the three undefeated teams in the state.
The two leading scorers for SRJC are both returners from last season.  The leading scorer is Cardinal Newman grad Corey Hammell at 15.0 a game.  He has only played the last four games.  The second leading scorer at 12.1 a game is Davone Oliver.
The tournament begins at 2 pm Thursday with No. 17 American River meeting Redwoods.  American River along with SRJC is in the Big 8 and is having a remarkable comeback season.  Last season they went 3-23 overall and lost all fourteen Big 8 games.
That game will be followed by No. 12 Marin vs Canyons.  Marin is 7-1 on the season and has handed SRJC one of its losses.  The only loss was to Mt. San Antonio.  They rallied in the second half to defeat SRJC 64-62. They go into the tournament with a five game winning streak.  Three of the five games, including the win over SRJC, were won by four points or less.
The SRJC game starts at 8 pm.  The theory that the home team in a tournament schedules easy, doesn’t apply here.  The Bear Cubs meet Feather River, who is 11-4 on the season.  They had a three game winning streak snapped last Saturday in a 70-66 loss to Marin.
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Davone Oliver returns for the Bear Cubs as they look to defend the Kris Kringle Tiltle

KRIS KRINGLE INVITATIONAL AT SRJC
2 pm…No. 17 American River (6-2) vs. Redwoods (5-6)
4 pm…Canyons (4-4) vs. No. 12 Marin (7-1)
6 pm…Los Medanos (2-6) vs. Shasta (2-8)
8 pm…Feather River (11-4) vs. SRJC (3-6)
There will be four games Friday with the first game starting at 2 pm.
The teams that lose their first two games will not play on Saturday.  There will only be three games with the first one starting at 4pm.  The championship game is scheduled to start at 8 pm.
STATE RANKINGS
1. Mt. San Antonio (11‐0)
2. Skyline (9‐0)
3. San Jose City (9‐1)
4. Saddleback (9‐1)
5. San Bernardino (9‐1)
6. Merritt (8‐1)
7. Mt. San Jacinto (8‐3)
8. Canada (9‐1)
9. Fresno (9‐3)
10. East LA (7‐2)
11. Lassen (10‐2)
12. Marin (4‐1)
13. Southwestern (8‐4)
14. Cuesta (9‐2)
15. San Francisco (9‐3)
16. Chaffey (9‐3)
17. American River
18. West LA (7‐0)
19. Ohlone (5‐3)
20. Bakersfield (5‐2)
Northern California
1. Skyline (12)
2. San Jose City (7)
3. Merritt (1)
4. Canada
5. Fresno (1)
6. Lassen
7. Marin
8. San Francisco
9. American River
10. Ohlone
11. Chabot
12. Feather River
13. Las Positas
14. Butte
15. Santa Rosa
Others: Butte, Monterey, Columbia, San Joaquin Delta, Cabrillo, Foothill, Sierra
Southern California
1. Mt. San Antonio (21)
2. Saddleback
3. San Bernardino
4. Mt. San Jacinto
5. East LA
6. Southwestern
7. Cuesta
8. Chaffey
9. West LA
10. Bakersfield
11. Antelope Valley
12. LA Harbor
13. Irvine Valley
14. Moorpark
15. LA Pierce
Others: San Diego City, Santa Monica, Grossmont, Rio Hondo, Victor Valley, Long
Beach City, MiraCosta, Palomar