Gaucho defense stifles Lasers

The Saddleback men's basketball team held on to a share of the lead in the Orange Empire Conference with a 57-47 win over Irvine Valley College on Wednesday in Irvine.   The Gauchos held IVC to 30% shooting in capturing the President's Cup.

Saddleback has the No. 1 defense in the state and in recent weeks it has been off the charts.  The trend continued on Wednesday when they shut down IVC.  The Gauchos have given up 50-or-less points in five of the past seven games, surrendering just 48.4 points-per-game. IVC found out first hand by making just 16 shots from the field all night while the Gauchos held a 38-28 advantage on the glass.

Saddleback led for most of the game, taking a 5-4 at the 16:16 mark of the opening half and never allowing IVC to regain the lead.  Irvine Valley did manage to get back to even at 12-12 but the rally was short-lived.  Saddleback went inside to Breaon Brady, who scored six of the next 10 points and the Gauchos were back in their groove.  T.J. Shorts followed with a three-point play of his own at the 3:19 mark the Saddleback lead was up to 25-16.   Irvine Valley would close to within 27-22 at the half after Zuri Williams was fouled with one second on the clock, burying all three free throws.

The Lasers came out quick, scoring the first four points of the second half to close within one.  Saddleback answered with back-to-back layups from Nick Crankshaw and another from Brady as again the rally was thwarted.

The Gaucho defense took over from that point forward.  Irvine Valley made just one basket from the field over a 6:15 stretch, and then after a three-pointer from Mike Turner went nearly another three minutes without another.  The Saddleback lead stretched out to 12 when Jake Hawes buried a three-pointer for a 45-33 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. 

Following a three-point play from IVC's Zach Harvey to get the Lasers back within nine, Saddleback then stretched out the lead to 15 when Josh Feitl made a layup with 6:53 remaining.  The Gauchos cruised the rest of the way as the Lasers never got within 10 for the remainder of the game.

Brady finished with a team-high 14 points and 13 rebounds, making 6-of-7 shots from the field.  Crankshaw chipped in with 10 points as the Gauchos shot 48% from the field.

Saddleback (21-3, 7-1) kept pace with Fullerton College in the Orange Empire Conference as the two teams remain tied for first place with four games remaining on the schedule.  The Gauchos now have a bye on Friday before traveling to Riverside City College next Wednesday.

The win on Wednesday secured the President's Cup for Saddleback for 2017.  The President's Cup is a friendly competition between Saddleback and Irvine Valley, combining the wins of both men's and women's basketball for the year.  The Gauchos have a 3-0 lead following the win on Wednesday night.