Sophomore Carlos Angel scored a season-high 22 points while sophomore Jackson Cascio came off the bench to score 14 points to help lead the Porterville College Pirates to an 84-70 win over visiting Merced College in both teams' Central Valley Conference opener on Wednesday.
The Pirates evened up their overall record at 6-6 with the victory and got off to a quick 1-0 start in CVC play.
Porterville took a commanding 41-27 advantage at halftime and was never threatened. PC shot 60 percent from the field in the contest, led by Angel's nearly perfect effort. He made 9 of 9 shots, including 4 of 4 from three-point range. Only a single free throw miss derailed a perfect night for him.
Cascio sank four shots from three-point land on his way to 14 points and PC also got double-digit scoring from sophomore Malik McCowan with 12 points. Freshman Elijah Cardenas nearly posted a double-double, chipping in with nine points and team-high nine rebounds.
Chris Roberson led Merced (2-11, 0-1 CVC) with 16 points.
The Pirates look to keep the momentum going on Saturday (Jan. 6) when they host Cerro Coso College in a 5 p.m. conference game.
