SB boys basketball finishes Holiday Classic with win
The Santa Barbara High School basketball team defeated Moorpark to finish the Holiday Classic on Friday, winning 80-61 to finish the tournament 3-1.
Santa Barbara took an early lead in the game, going up 23-15 by the end of the first quarter. The lead would never be relinquished, and grew to 12 points early in the second quarter.
The second quarter also saw Santa Barbara’s only true scare of the day, however, as Moorpark cut the lead to two points with about four minutes left in the half. That was as close as the game got, however, as Santa Barbara quickly extended the lead out to double digits with a run that included a pair of three-pointers from sophomore DJ Wilson.
It was all downhill from there for Santa Barbara, as they maintained a lead of at least nine points the rest of the way, eventually extending it to 19 in the closing minutes of the game.
“We had great contributions the last couple games from all nine guys that are healthy,” said Santa Barbara Coach Corey Adam. “I’m proud of the guys as they continue to make strides in the right direction.”
Luke Zuffelato finished the game with 28 points, earning all-tournament honors by maintaining an average score of 28.5 points per game. Carter Battle contributed 13 points to the win, while Owen Debusk added 12.
Santa Barbara will return to action Jan. 5 with a home game against Ventura.
SM girls water polo has mixed results to close out Holiday Cup
The San Marcos girls water polo team edged out Laguna Beach in the Holiday Cup semifinals before dropping a close game to Orange Lutheran in San Marcos’ first-ever trip to the tournament’s final round.
San Marcos’ win against Laguna Beach was a close one, as the team earned a 13-12 victory. Senior Ava Stryker and freshman Charlotte Rasin led the way with five goals each. Elaia Hamilton came away with 12 saves, including two penalty blocks.
With the win, San Marcos advanced to the finals, eventually falling in another close game when Orange Lutheran came away with the 14-12 victory. Sophia Panossian scored four goals in the contest, while Reagan McEachen earned four ejections and Lucy Haaland-Ford contributed four steals while playing tough defense.
“I’m extremely proud of my team, we stepped up to challenges and
overcame a lot of adversity,” said Royals Coach Chuckie Roth. “We are getting better and I truly believe in this group.”
DP girls basketball falls to Calabasas
The Dos Pueblos girls basketball team lost to Calabasas on Friday, falling by a score of 68-61.
“This was our most intense game of the season so far. We had the lead majority of the game but didn’t play poised down the stretch,” said Dos Pueblos Coach Manny Murillo. “Lauren Robles erupted this game, hitting five threes and had 19 points, making big shot after big shot including a drive that resulted in a 3 point play. Our defense was solid 75% of the game but this game is 4 quarters not 3. We turned the ball over way too many times in the second half to earn the win.”
Robles’ 19 points led the team, and she also contributed five rebounds and a steal. Justin Katz scored 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and a steal while Carly Letendre contributed eleven points, five rebounds and a steal. Evette Allen and Gianna Nichols each added nine points and four rebounds and Savannah Riley led the team in rebounds with nine.
Dos Pueblos fell to a 7-8 record with the loss, but remains 2-0 in league matchups.
Bishop Diego falls in Avalon Classic Championship
The Bishop Diego girls basketball team lost the championship game of the Avalon Classic, falling to Avalon by a score of 38-34.
Galilea De La Cruz led Bishop Diego with 24 points, while Jayme Coronado came away with seven.
Though Bishop Diego started out slow and trailed for the majority of the game, the team managed to make it close in the fourth quarter, starting the period down 29-19 before coming back to tie the score at 34. Avalon regained the lead with about 90 seconds left in the game, eventually winning by a scant four points.
“I’m proud of how we battled despite not playing the way we are capable of,” said Bishop Diego Coach Jeff Burich. “I’m proud of how we battled … we had way too many unforced errors and it’s hard to win when you are outshot 25-13 from the free throw line.”
The team falls to a 16-2 overall record with the loss, and will open league play on Thursday against Santa Clara.
– Compiled by Matt Smolensky
