On Feb. 14, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s basketball team claimed a 76-62 victory over Pomona-Pitzer, reinforcing their win from earlier this season and retaining the Sixth Street title. Despite putting up a close fight in the first half, the Sagehens eventually fell short at the final buzzer.
The rematch started on even footing, with the Sagehens bringing the game to 19 points apiece with 8 minutes left in the first half.
However, CMS pulled away in the final minutes of the half. After a 3-pointer expanded their lead to 5, the Stags scored four unanswered baskets from guard William Householter CM ’27, guard Brady Karich CM ’28, center Cahal Connolly CM ’26 and forward Joey Kennedy CM ’27.
Kennedy grabbed 17 points and 9 rebounds to finish the game, and was subsequently honored as SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week. Connolly scored a team-high 20 points, followed by Householter scoring 14 and Karich finishing with a team-high 7 assists.
CMS closed the half with a 43-31 lead. 5C Dance Company took the court for the Valentine’s Day halftime show for both the men’s and women’s games.
“It was really nice to support our community on a day about love and to bring positivity to the court,” dancer Becca Rogers PZ ’28 said.
While CMS’s lead at halftime could be credited to its exciting offense, the Stags’ credited their defensive effort.
“Our defense just clicked today, from the perimeter all the way down to the post,” center Michael O’Brien HM ’27 said. “We were able to guard quite well. We had a good amount of forced turnovers.”
Despite a consolation 3-pointer in the final seconds from Sam Lind PZ ’28, the Stags held onto the lead in a dominant showing with a final score of 76-62.
“I’m most proud that my team never quit,” P-P team captain Kyle Jasper PZ ’26 said. “We had an injury, and it’s really tough to see one of your guys go down and not be able to come back and play … We kept fighting, and while the game didn’t go our way, I’m proud of the fight and effort that was put forth in the game.”
Though the Stags were coming off a 3-game win streak and currently occupy the top spot in SCIAC, the team has made it a priority to keep their mind and eyes on the game at hand.
“We did a good job staying together, we didn’t get too high or low, [we] stayed pretty level headed,” Karich said. “I think that’s a strength of ours [that] we can continue throughout the rest of the season.”
Jasper acknowledged that while the glory goes to the players in the Sixth Street Rivalry Game, they play for all the alumni before them and the legacy of the teams ahead. The support the players get from everyone around them drives their success.
“It’s not just the guys out there on the court that contribute to this team, it’s also the guys who work their ass off in practice,” Jasper said. “I’m always looking at the guys who may not be getting the opportunities in games, but [still know] that those guys are a very key part of our success. It’s fully a team sport.”
Jasper noted that many of the Sagehens’ seniors from last year were key players, and this year the P-P team had to transition to a younger rotation, with freshmen and sophomores stepping into those roles. While this year’s Sixth Street games did not go in the Sagehens favor, the experience itself should help prepare the returning underclassmen for future iterations of Claremont’s heated rivalry.
“Everyone has to mesh together to be successful,” Jasper said. “The guys are realizing the importance of playing together and playing with each other. I’m happy to say that I can keep my head high with the effort that my team brought, and I’m excited to see how we can improve in the coming years from this game.”
Following the weekend affair, the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens celebrated Senior Night at Voekel Gymnasium against Cal Lutheran on Feb. 18, falling short with a scoreline of 71-99. They look to close the season versus La Verne on Feb. 21, despite being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Despite a 69-91 loss to Redlands to end the regular season on Feb. 18, the Stags posted their winningest season since 2012. This performance helped clinch a bid to advance in the SCIAC playoffs, starting with the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 27.
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