SAN MARCOS- Palomar men’s basketball drops their final home game of the season on sophomore night after a tough 76-67 loss to conference rival MiraCosta.
It was sophomore night for the Comets as they honored third-year sophomore, Derek Clos. As the only active sophomore on the roster, Clos played in a total of 26 games during his time with the team, averaging 1.2 points per game.
“It’s meant a lot to me; I’ve learned so much here and grown as a person. It’s much more than just basketball. It’s been a real humbling experience for me,” Clos said about his time at Palomar.
Heading into the game, the Comets were in a position to make the playoffs, sitting at the 21 seed. Going up against rival MiraCosta College, who the Comets previously lost on Jan. with a final score of 72-70.
With the Spartans sitting above the Comets in the conference standings, this big matchup would have huge consequences for the playoffs.
The Comets fought all game long, going back and forth with MiraCosta and keeping the game very close for the majority of play. At half-time, the score was 41-35 in favor of the Spartans. The Dome was packed for the game and created a loud, cheerful atmosphere.
Palomar was unable to keep things close towards the end of the game as the Spartans started to pull away, who ended up stealing a win on the road.
MiraCosta big-man Ramel Bethea took control of the game scoring 27 points along with 11 rebounds. He went perfect from the field going 11-11.
For Palomar, Isaiah Tolmaire led the Comets in scoring with his 19 points. Matin Madadkar had 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Max Zylicz had 11 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Isaiah Pomare, who had been the Comets’ hottest offensive player, had an off night only scoring nine points but was dominant on the glass, grabbing 17 rebounds.
Pomare said, “It’s going to take men on the road and toughness” to beat San Diego City.
Palomar plays its final regular season game against its rival and the number one team in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, San Diego City College.
The last matchup between those two teams saw San Diego City steal a win from the Comets at the Dome in a heated game with the coaches and players barking back and forth at each other all game long.
“It’s about as big of a rivalry as you can have between Palomar and [San Diego] City,” Palomar Athletic Director Dan Lynds said.
