The Knights won three consecutive games over the weekend to claim their first Knights Invitational tournament championship. Chris "Boom" Burton averaged 25.3 points and 7.0 rebounds during the weekend and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Christian Jones averaged 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds and was named to the All-tournament team along with Caleb Singleton who averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Burton had a monster effort in the opening round on Friday, scoring a tournament record 39 points on 14-of-17 shooting to go with 10 rebounds in the Knights 119-71 blowout win over Barstow. The 119 points were also a tournament record.
The Knights jumped out to a 27-6 lead and never looked back as they went on to build a 39-point halftime lead. Five Knights scored in double figures including Jones who put in 16 points. Caleb Singleton had 20 points and nine rebounds. Spencer Mattox and Marcus Brumsey both came off the bench to score 13 and 11, respectively.
In the semifinal game against Mt. San Jacinto on Saturday, the Knights had another great start and went ahead 19-3. The Knights were up by as many as 18 points in the first half, but Mt. San Jacinto did not go away. The Eagles came storming back to within two points with 7:06 remaining, but SDCC hit back with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to regain control of the game. Burton had 23 points and eight rebounds, while Jones recorded 15 points and 11 assists.
In the championship game against PCAC South foe Southwestern, the Knights were the ones who fell behind early. The Jaguars jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but it wouldn't last long as the Knights responded with a 14-3 run to take the lead for good. The Knights had an eight-point lead at halftime and started the second half with an 18-4 run to pull away for good.
Singleton hit 5-of-10 three-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds. Burton and Jones had 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Brumsey poured in 13 points off the bench.
This was the fourth time in the tournament's nine-year history that the Knights advanced to the championship game, but it was the first time that the Knights were crowned champions.
Joining Burton, Jones, and Singleton on the All-tournament team were Robert Romero (Grossmont), Mark Williams (Citrus), Samuel Williams (Mt. San Jacinto), and Stefon Lott (Southwestern).
Grossmont defeated Oxnard, 87-76, to win the consolation championship.
Mt. San Jacinto defeated Citrus, 93-75, to earn third place.
