Gauchos headed to regional finals

The Saddleback men's basketball team advanced to the regional finals on Wednesday night with a 56-46 win over East Los Angeles College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The Gauchos struggled through a cold-shooting night to win their 17^th straight game.

Saddleback (27-4) fought through an off night from the field but managed to play enough defense to advance in the Southern California playoffs.  The Gauchos were just 3-of-20 from three-point range and shot only 36% from the field, but the defense was stellar and provided enough breathing room to grind out a win.  

Saddleback led by seven at the half and extended the lead to 15 in the opening minutes of the second half.  However, things cooled off dramatically and East LA clawed within six with a 9-0 run midway through the final period.  The Gauchos then took control over the final six minutes, making most of their free throws as the Huskies ran out of gas.  Saddleback's defense held East LA to 28% shooting for the night, blocking six Husky shots. 

Saddleback received a strong second half from the trio of Miles Green, Josh Smith and A.J. Brevard.  Green (pictured) was a constant thorn in the side of East LA, forcing a number of Husky turnovers while scoring five points in the second 20 minutes and finishing with nine rebounds.  Brevard scored 12 points on the night, finishing with eight in the second half with both Darnell Taylor and McKay LaSalle in foul trouble.  Smith was a force underneath, finishing with 10 rebounds in the second half and scoring 12 points for the night.

For Saddleback, it was the 17^th straight win dating back to mid-December.  It is the longest winning streak for the program since winning 21 straight in 2001-02. 

Saddleback will play Chaffey College in the regional finals on Saturday night at home.  Tip-time is set for 7:00 PM.

East Los Angeles finishes the season 21-8.