REDDING, Calif. (Interstat) — The Merritt Thunderbirds held off the Shasta Knights 89-85 in a men’s junior college basketball game Thursday. Merritt improved to 4-0 on the season while Shasta fell to 0-7. Anthony Sanchez led all scorers with 22 points for Shasta in the losing effort. The Knights, who were projected as favorites, shot 46% from the floor and made 13 three-pointers but could not complete the comeback. The Thunderbirds secured the narrow victory despite a strong offensive rating from Shasta, which scored 85 points on 75 possessions.