SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (Dec. 2) – Despite all five starters scoring in double figures, the Vulcans suffered a 77-73 loss at Shippensburg in the opening game of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Friday night.
With the loss, the California (PA) men's basketball team drops to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in conference action. The Vulcans and Raiders have split the last two meetings, both at Heighes Field House, while Shippensburg has won five of the last six overall meetings dating back to the 2016-17 campaign. The Raiders improve to 3-3 this season and begin league play with a 1-0 record after being voted second in the preseason PSAC East poll.
Sophomore
Cam Polak (West Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) tied a career high with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 from long range. Additionally, he tallied three rebounds and two assists on Friday. Polak is currently averaging 18.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season while recording a .495 field-goal percentage (45-of-91).
Freshman
KJ McClurg (Morgantown, W.Va./University) registered 14 points and tied a team best of seven rebounds, plus added a pair of assists and one block. Sophomore
DJ Slaughter (Manassas, Va./Saint John Paul the Great Catholic) posted 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, while redshirt junior Jermaine Hall Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) scored 12 points, collected seven rebounds and tallied a season-high four assists. Rounding out the Cal double-figure scorers was sophomore
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) with 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Raiders jumped out to an early 8-2 lead following a layup from Rashon Johnson. Cal executed a 9-2 run that started with a three-pointer from Palek and ended with layup from Polak, as the Vulcans claimed a 11-10 edge. Both teams traded the next eight points until Shippensburg connected on back-to-back three-pointers to stretch its advantage to 20-15 with 12:21 remaining in the half. Cal conducted a 5-2 run to trim the deficit to 22-20 and eventually reclaimed the lead after a 12-7 run to hold a 32-29 edge. The Vulcans were able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the half as they led 38-34 at the break.
Cal and Shippensburg split the initial 18 points of the second half, as the Vulcans held a 47-43 advantage. Cal was able to grasp its biggest lead of the night following a long-range connection from Polak to give the Vulcans a 10-point advantage at 53-43. The Raiders pulled within four points at 65-61, as they orchestrated an 18-12 run over the next seven minutes. Shippensburg eventually captured a 69-68 edge following an 8-3 run. With 13 seconds left to play, the Raiders extended their lead to 77-70 as they held on for the victory.
Cal recorded a .452 field-goal percentage (28-of-62) while connecting on 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile Shippensburg shot 37.8 percent (28-of-74) from the floor with a .290 clip (9-of-31) from long range. The Raiders tallied 17 assists and held a 45-35 rebound advantage.
A 2022 All-PSAC East First-Team selection, senior Rashon Johnson recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds in addition to two blocks and one steal. Carlos Carter posted 14 points, six rebounds and a game-high eight assists, while Dom Sleva registered 14 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of steals and two blocks.
The Vulcans return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 3, as they conclude their road trip at Lock Haven in league action at 7:30 p.m.
