Gauchos blast Jaguars in non-conference battle

Saddleback went on the road to Southwestern College on Friday and beat the Jaguars 81-50 in a tune-up game for the annual Riverside City College Tournament next week.  Daniel Young came off the bench to score 14 points as the Gauchos improved to 8-1.

Southwestern entered the game at 7-2 and is generally one of the big dogs in the Pacific Coast South Division on an annual basis.  The Gauchos picked them apart, leading 39-24 at the half and cruising to a 31-point win.

Young was part of a bench that scored 50 points, equaling the number of points by the entire Southwestern squad.  Jalen Hall (pictured) also came off the bench to score 13 points as Saddleback jumped out to a 31-14 lead midway through the first half. 

Saddleback is now 8-1 on the season heading into the RCC Tournament next week, which is considered one of the better tournaments in the state.  Seven of the top 14 programs in the Southern California rankings will play in the RCC Tournament, including the top three, in what should be a good look at the top programs in the lower half of the state.

Saddleback will open on Wednesday at 1:00 PM against the winner of Citrus College (5-4) and Barstow College (2-8), who play on Tuesday.