Gauchos to open playoffs against Citrus

The Saddleback men's basketball team found out it on Wednesday night it will host Citrus College in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday night after the Owls traveled to Cuesta College for an opening-round win.  The Gauchos and Owls will tip off at 7:00 PM from the Brummel Dome.

Saddleback and Citrus have become familiar with one-another in recent years as many will remember the Gauchos defeating the Owls in the state-semifinals in 2009-10 en route to a state title win over City College of San Francisco.  Saddleback and Citrus have both been perennial powers in Southern California over the past six years, as the two programs have now had the top seed for the post-season in four of the past six years.  Until this season (with Citrus having the No. 17 seed), neither team has been seeded lower than No. 7 since the 2006-2007 campaign when the Gauchos missed the playoffs.

Saddleback enters the dance as the top-seed in the south after winning its last 15 games of the season and capturing the Orange Empire Conference title.  The Gauchos (25-4) are led by a quartet of First Team All-Orange Empire Conference players as both McKay LaSalle and Josh Smith were named co-MVP of the conference while Darnell Taylor (pictured above right) and Carlton Hayes were also named to the first team.  A.J. Brevard was named to the second all-conference team and head coach Andy Ground was named the conference coach-of-the-year after capturing his third conference title in five seasons at the helm.

Citrus finished in a tie for second place in the Western State North with a 6-4 record and enters the game at 16-10 overall after the win over Cuesta on Wednesday night.  The Owls are led by hot-shooting guard Kerry Carter, who averages 21.3 points-per-game on 42% shooting and 35% three-point shooting.  Carter isn't alone, however, as sophomore forward Steven Thornton (pictured left) averages 15.9 per-game and shooting guard Terrell Todd has buried 47% of his three-point attempts for the year. 

Saddleback and Citrus play contrasting styles, as the Gauchos have an in-your-face defensive squad while the Owls like to let things fly.  Saddleback enters the game at +9.8 in scoring, averaging 66.2 points-per-game while giving up just 56.4.  Conversely, Citrus is a +6.1 in scoring, averaging 80.6 on offense while giving up 74.5 points-per-game in the defensive end.  The Gauchos have held opponents under 60 points for 15 straight games and 20 times during the course of the season while the Owls have surrendered under 60 only once during the 2012-13 campaign. 

Saddleback is currently riding a 15-game winning streak dating back to December 20.  It is the longest winning streak for the program since winning 16 straight back in 2008-09.  Citrus has won four straight games…a streak that includes wins over conference champion College of the Canyons and co-second place finisher Santa Monica College. 

Game time is set for 7:00 PM on Saturday.  The game can be heard live on Saddleback's own KSBR Radio with live streaming audio.