Four Gauchos make all-conference list

The Saddleback men's basketball team finished in a tie for third place in the Orange Empire Conference and will find out its playoff fate on Monday afternoon.  In the meantime, coaches convened over the weekend to determine an all-conference squad.

Four different Saddleback players were named to the All-Orange Empire Conference Team, with David Dial making the first team, Nik Lipovic and Captain Whitlock making the second team and Tristan Williams being named honorable mention.

Dial led the team in scoring with 13.9 points-per-game.  He also led the team with 5.1 assists-per-game while shooting 42.3% from the field.  Dial's biggest performance of the year came against Golden West College in late December when he scored 29 points against the Rustlers.

Lipovic was the top threat from the outside all season, shooting 39% from three-point range.  He averaged 8.8 points and 2.5 rebounds-per-game, shooting 76.5% from the free throw line.  Lipovic's biggest performance came against Barstow College early in the season when he scored 23 points, making 7-of-12 from long range.

Whitlock played the most minutes of anyone on the team, logging over 32 minutes-per-game.  He averaged 8.5 points-per-game while leading the team with 34 steals.  Whitlock's biggest offensive outburst came in the opening game of the season when he scored 22 points against San Diego Mesa College.

Williams continued to make big strides during the season, starting the final 11 games of the year.  He averaged 8.0 points-per-game while leading the team in blocked shots (23) and finishing second on the team in rebounding (2.8 rpg).  Williams' biggest game of the season came against Glendale College when he scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.