RCC title is #200 for coach

The Saddleback men's basketball team won one of the more prestigious tournaments of the preseason on Saturday when it defeated Chaffey College, 71-65, in the finals of the Riverside Tournament. The win was #200 for head coach Andy Ground.

Saddleback was playing against a loaded field, with some of the top programs from Southern California participating in the four-day event.  The Gauchos advanced to the finals with wins over Citrus (84-63) and Fullerton (65-60) before taking on Chaffey in the finals on Saturday.

Saddleback and Chaffey were all even at 24-24 at the half when the Gauchos came out of the break to make a run.  Daniel Young buried a jumper before Josh Mishler made a three-pointer, giving the Gauchos a lead they would never relinquish.  Saddleback would eventually build the lead to 12 points with 13:41 remaining, outscoring the Panthers 16-4 to start the second half.  They later extended the lead to 14 on three different occasions, turning back a Chaffey program that headed into the game thinking upset.

Breaon Brady led the Gauchos with 16 points in the finals, making 10-of-13 from the free throw line.  Saddleback's defense was suffocating at times, holding Chaffey to 31% shooting from the field. 

The win was #200 for Saddleback head coach Andy Ground, who now has an overall record of 200-43 in his 7+ seasons as the coach.  During that time, Ground has won two state championships and appeared in a third, winning five Orange Empire Conference titles. 

"We've been fortunate to have a lot of great athletes during my time here on campus," Ground said.  "The more wins we get, the less hair I have on my head."

Saddleback will host the Bill Brummel Classic Tournament, starting Thursday.  The Gauchos will open against Long Beach City College on Thursday night at 7:00 PM.