Bobcats clamp down on Pirates for 15th win

The Saddleback men's basketball team remained in the hunt for a playoff spot with a 71-53 win against Orange Coast College on Saturday night inside the Saddleback gymnasium.  The Bobcats now have 15 wins for the year after holding the Pirate offense in check.

Saddleback is right in the mix for a playoff spot.  The Bobcats are 15-9 overall after Saturday's win and just one game out of third place in the Orange Empire Conference with four games remaining to play.  Saddleback did it with defense on Saturday, holding Orange Coast to 29% shooting while holding a sizeable advantage on the glass.

Saddleback had nice games from Jimuel Reyes, Nick Bowden and Atiba Taylor, who combined to score 48 points.  The trio was 17-of-33 from the field, connecting on 7-of-17 from long range.

Saddleback held a 32-23 lead at the intermission thanks in large part to Reyes, who scored 11 first half points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field while making all four free throws.  The Bobcats were completely dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Pirates 27-10 while holding Orange Coast to 25% shooting over the first 20 minutes.

Orange Coast mounted a comeback in the second half when it chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 46-46 with 9:20 remaining.  The Pirates then went ice cold from the field, failing to score for 6:24 as Saddleback ran away and hid.  The Bobcats scored 22 straight points, making 9-of-12 shots and heating up from beyond the arc. 

Reyes and Bowden both finished with a team-high of 17 points for the night.  Derek Rubidoux and Gerald Jones III were force inside, collecting 14 and nine rebounds, respectively. 

Saddleback is now 15-9 overall and 7-5 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Bobcats have games remaining with Irvine Valley, Fullerton, Riverside City and Santa Ana.  Saddleback will continue at Irvine Valley on Tuesday at 5:00 PM.