The West L A game was the best game of division basketball for he Corsairs because for the first time in 2009 they looked like a team who believed in themselves, and equally important: it was a team that the coach seemed to believe in. Coach Jenkins started the freshmen. West L A started their best.

College of the Canyon Cougars 89, Santa Monica College Corsairs 68

The contest stayed pretty even for the first 14 minutes where the College of the Canyons Cougars maintained an average lead of just under four points. The Corsairs actually led by two points at times. Then, for the next six minutes of the game, the Corsairs became stone cold. The Cougars scored 13 unanswered points and took the lead for good which gave Canyons a 14 point lead which they would maintain throughout almost all of the rest of the game. The half ended with a score of 47-34.

The second half can be divided into four scoring segments. In the first five minutes of the second period the Corsairs outscored the Cougars 15-10. At this point the score was 57-49. Many in the stadium grasped at the hope there would be a come-back. In the next six minutes of the game, the Cougars outscored the Corsairs 12-8. Granted the Cougar lead would be 14 points, but that is not insurmountable with ten plus minutes left in a game.

Then came the coup de grace. In the next four minutes, the Cougars score 13 unanswered points. Any hope of a comeback or a good game was smothered. With 5:49 left on the clock, the Cougars led by 27 points with a score of 82-58. In the final scoring segment of the second period, the Corsairs played well by outscoring Canyons 11-7. Nevertheless, the hole they had dug for themselves was too deep and the 11-7 run was too little too late. The final score was Canyons 89, Santa Monica 68.

West Los Angeles Wildcats 79, Santa Monica College Corsairs 70

This might sound crazy, because the Corsairs lost, but this was the best game they played in division basketball this season. Yes, kudos for beating Citrus which went 11-1 in the division. Yes the Corsairs handed the number two rated team in the state their only "-1." Yes they were winless in the division at the time they beat Citrus. Yes, my fingernails are still growing back from the night of that one point victory that came down to Citrus' last shot that left the shooters hand in time to count, but fell short after the buzzer rang ending the game.

Despite it all, this was their best game of division basketball because for the first time in 2009 they looked like a team who believed in themselves, and equally important: it was a team that the coach seemed to believe in.

Coach Jenkins started the freshmen. West L A started their best.

West L A scored first so they had a two point lead. Four minutes into the game they again led by two points; the last lead of the period they would see: the score was 6-4. Then, with one fourth of the first period in the books, the Corsairs methodically took command of the half.

The Wildcats' longest streak of unanswered points yielded them five points. The Corsairs had three streaks of unanswered points; nine, six, and five respectively. When neither team was on a streak, they essentially traded baskets.

For the last 14 minutes of the game the Corsairs' point spread vacillated from a high of 14 to a low of four. On paper a four point lead doesn't look like much, but on the court, there was no doubt who was in control of the game. Tempers were tested on both sides. This was an intense fight.

The first period ended with the Corsairs on top by nine points; a score 40-31.

The Wildcats drew first blood in the second period and narrowed the Corsair lead to seven. After trading a set of baskets, the Wildcats would get seven straight points before the Corsairs would sink a phenomenal three pointer. They would essentially trade baskets again until West L A would go on a ten to five run. The score at this point was now tied at 52 apiece. With 11:05 left on the clock tempers boiled over and the game had to be stopped for about five minutes. Kris Mehdipour made one of the two technical fowl free throws. It was the Corsairs' last lead of the night at 53-52.

In the next three minutes the Wildcats would outscore the Corsairs 5-3; in the next three minutes 8-6 and in the nest two and a half minutes, 9-6. There were some bad calls by the officials, but bad calls do not sink baskets - players do. With only 57 seconds left in the game, the score was West L A 74, Corsairs 68. The final 5-2 scoring run by West L A clinched the win with a 79-70 victory.

Anyone who has played any kind of sports or game knows that seasons change. This year's freshmen will be stronger, older, smarter and more experienced next season. Coach Jenkins began recruiting the minute he took the head coaching job at SMC. With a little recruiting luck, a lot of hard work, and maybe a little more support from SMC students, the Corsairs might become one of the state's best teams come this fall.

On a personal note, I started covering the men and women who play basketball for this great college at the beginning of conference play. I attended every game. I objectively covered them as a reporter, and sometimes with seemingly harsh words.

The season is over and I will miss them. And somewhere between the exhilaration which victory brings and the long faces following defeat ... I became a true fan.