Win streak hits four

The Saddleback men's basketball team won its fourth straight game with a 74-64 victory over Golden West College on Wednesday night inside the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The win now sets up a showdown with Santiago Canyon on Friday night.

Saddleback looked lethargic through the first 20 minutes, carrying a 35-32 lead into the locker room against a Golden West team that entered with only three wins on the season.  Captain Whitlock scored nine points in the opening frame while the Gauchos dominated the Rustlers on defense, forcing 10 turnovers while outrebounding Golden West 19-12.

Saddleback started to separate themselves from Golden West five minutes into the second half when they went on a 9-0 run to take a 47-36 lead.  Tristan Williams, Acton Shirley and Dillon Waikle were instrumental, dominating on the glass and getting to the basket for some easy buckets.

Williams started the run with an offense rebound and a put-back to give Saddleback a 40-36 lead.  One minute later, Williams had three rebounds and an assist over a 50-second span, feeding Whitlock for an easy basket and a 42-36 lead.  On the next possession he fed Jerique Walker for a three-pointer and the Gauchos were off and running. 

Saddleback extended the lead to 15 points with under 3.5 minutes remaining when David Dial was fouled in the act of shooting and buried both free throws for a 68-53 lead.  It was a growing trend throughout the second half, as Saddleback made 16-of-22 shots from the charity stripe over the second 20 minutes in distancing themselves from the Rustlers.

Shirley finished a team-high 13 points on a night when Saddleback had four players in double-figures.  Whitlock finished with 12 points, Dial had 11 and Williams finished with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the night.

Saddleback will play again when they travel to Santiago Canyon College on Friday night with a chance to move up in the Orange Empire Conference standings.  Santiago Canyon is currently tied with Riverside City College on top of the standings while Saddleback and Fullerton College are both one game back with six games remaining.  Tip time is scheduled for 6:00 in Orange.