SAN MARCOS– Palomar men’s basketball won its first game of the season, defeating Victor Valley by a score of 105-99.
After a 2023-24 season that saw the team finish with a 14-14 record and a 9-7 record in conference play, Head Coach Ivan Patterson and his staff brought in 11 freshmen this season with the hopes of building off the success of last season and capturing a conference championship.
Both teams started the game off hot, going back and forth, hitting shot after shot. At the end of the first half, the Comets were down just two points, 54-52.
The Comets started the second half a little slow, finding themselves down 13 points at around the 12-minute mark in the second half. This didn’t phase the Comets one bit. Timely shots, defensive stops, and points off of turnovers led Palomar to within just a few points of Victor Valley.
With 1:54 left in the game, freshman Max Zylicz hit a huge three-point shot to give Palomar a one-point lead.
“Toughness, mental toughness,” said Zylicz when asked about the team’s ability to come back in the game.
Victor Valley would go down the court and make a layup, giving them the lead 97-96.
Freshman guard Isaiah Tolmaire hit a clutch three-point shot to put the Comets back up 99-97 with only 1:29 left in the game.
Palomar would end the game by hitting some huge free throws to put the game out of reach to complete the comeback victory.
The crowd was pumped to see the Comets get their first win of the season.
In his first collegiate game, freshman guard Isaiah Pomare #5 had a double-double and led the team in scoring with 29 points and 18 rebounds.
“Feeling great, man, this was a great team win,” said Pomare.
Jaidyn Norman #0, another freshman guard for the Comets, had 27 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
“It all starts at practice; we just got to keep it going,” said Norman.
Max Zylicz #10 had 18 points coming off the bench for Palomar. His teammate Isaiah Tolmaire #1 had 16 points as well, coming off the bench.
“We are a great team with a great culture… it’s a blessing to play here,” said Zylicz.
Head Coach Ivan Patterson said after the game, “I trust these guys a lot when we hit shots; we are very hard to beat.”
“Offensively, we were going to go on a run; we just had to get stops on the defensive end,” Patterson said when asked about what contributed to the comeback win.
The Comets scored 24 points off turnovers in the game and dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds.
The men’s basketball team plays their next game on Nov. 8 on the road vs. LA Valley.
The next home game is on Nov. 12 vs. Copper Mountain at 6:00 P.M.
For more schedule information, click here.
