Gray matters in win over Palomar

The Saddleback men's basketball team got back to winning on Saturday with a 69-59 victory over Palomar College at the Grossmont College Tournament.  Jackson Gray had a big day from the outside as the Bobcats turned things around from long range.

Saddleback was coming off a terrible day of shooting on Friday when they went just 2-of-17 from three-point range in a loss to San Diego City in the opening round of the Grossmont College Tournament.  The Bobcats had a much better day from the outside on Saturday, making 14-of-38 in a double-digit win over the Comets.

Gray was a big reason why, making 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in finishing with 18 points on the afternoon.  James Burries had another big performance, leading the Bobcats with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.

Gray was also instrumental in running the offense and bouncing back from a game where the Saddleback turned the ball over with regularity against San Diego City.  The Bobcats turned the ball over just four times on Saturday while forcing 14 turnovers in the defensive end.

Saddleback led from start-to-finish, opening up a huge lead to start the game.  The Bobcats had a 15-4 lead just 4.5 minutes into the game, instantly putting Palomar on the defensive.  Saddleback would carry a five point lead into the locker room at the half and consistently had a 5-10-point lead throughout the second frame. 

Palomar cut the lead to four points with just under seven minutes remining when Jackson Welch made back-to-back layups to extend the lead to eight points.  Burries later made a three-pointer with 3:37 remining to extend the lead back to 11.  The Bobcats then cruised across the finish line with a 10-point win.

Saddleback is now 6-2 overall for the season.  The Bobcats will play in the fifth place game on Sunday against Moorpark College.  The game is scheduled to tip off at 1:00 PM at Grossmont College.