Palomar take down Vaqueros; back in Elite 8

SAN MARCOS, CA (3/4/2023) -- In front of the biggest and rowdiest crowd this season, No. 2 Palomar Colleg defeated No. 7 Glendale College 77-60 to advance to their second consecutive Elite Eight round of the CCCAA State Championship Tournament. 

The Comets and Vaqueros went back in forth in the entirety of the first half which ended with a 36-36 tie. All eyes were on the Comets, sitting at 29-0 on the season and the No. 1 team all year. After half, they wanted it more than the Vaqueros. The Comets settled into their normal pace of play in the third quarter, outscoring the Vaqueros 23-12, giving themselves a small cushion going into the final 10 minutes of the game.

It was pretty much game over at that point and the crowd knew it. With five minutes to go, the Comets had a 69-53 lead when Glendale's Megan Delgado attempted a 3-pointer. Sophomore Deajanae Harvey flew at her and blocked the shot as the crowd erupted. But it still wasn't over. Sophomore Gabby Sebit, recorded her third block of the game when Glendale's Jesni Cooper attempted a layup. Harvey got the rebound and went down to score to take a 71-53 lead. A handful layups for Glendale and several free throws for the Comets later, Paloamr found themselves cheering as they closed out their final game in the Dome this season.

Palomar shot 46.8% in the field and 75% at the free-throw line. They outrebounded the Vaqueros 42-20 and forced 26 turnovers to score 25 points. Palomar finished with 15 assists and 42 points in the paint. The game saw seven ties and six lead changes.

The Comets advance to 30-0 on the season and will face the No. 3 North-seeded College of the Sequoias on Friday, Mar. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Elite Eight Round of the CCCAA State tournament.