Bobcats move forward in playoffs

The Saddleback men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Southern California Regional Playoffs on Wednesday with a 75-72 victory at Santa Monica College.  The Bobcats will travel to Chaffey College on Saturday.

Saddleback started hot, opening up a 13-6 lead in the first four minutes of the game.  Jackson Gray started the streak by nailing a three-pointer on the opening possession as the Bobcats set the early tone.

Santa Monica chipped away at the lead and eventually took a lead of their own with just over 12 minutes remaining when Elijah Scranton made a layup to give the Corsairs a 19-18 advantage.  It remained a back-and-forth game until the latter stages of the half when Saddleback went cold from the field and Santa Monica extended the lead to 34-29 with another Scranton layup. 

The Bobcats then showed grit, holding Santa Monica scoreless for the next 3:21 in grabbing back the lead at 36-34.  The Bobcats would extend the lead to six when Qahhar Burns made a jumper in the final seconds for a 41-35 lead at the half.

Saddleback never trailed in the second half, leading by as many as 11 points after James Burries landed a jumper with 16:09 remaining for a 50-39 lead.  Santa Monica spent most of the second frame chipping away at the lead and eventually whittled it down to one at 71-70 with 43 seconds left on the clock when Brooklyn Caldwell completed a three-point play after getting fouled on a layup.  Burries then took control, scoring a basket on the next possession and then making two free throws in the final seconds to give the Bobcats a 75-72 advantage with eight seconds remaining.  Santa Monica's playoff hopes then expired in the final seconds as they turned the ball over on an inbounds pass without ever getting off a shot. 

Burries finished with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.  John McFadden was a workhorse on the inside, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win.  The Bobcats had one other player in double-figures as Charlie Stallings finished with 13 points, making 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc.

Saddleback is now 16-13 overall following the win.  The Bobcats advance to the second round of the 3C2A Regional Playoffs and will travel to Chaffey College (25-3) on Saturday for a matchup against the Panthers.  Chaffey is the No. 4 seed for the regional playoffs and had a bye on Wednesday after winning the Inland Empire Athletic Conference title.  Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:00 PM in Rancho Cucamonga. 

The winner of Saddleback and Chaffey will advance to the regional finals a week from Saturday against the winner of West Los Angeles College (24-4) and East Los Angeles College (21-8).

UPCOMING GAME NOTES:  Saddleback and Chaffey have not met since November of 2016 when Saddleback dropped a non-conference matchup agianst the Panthers (75-79).  The last time the two programs met in the playoffs was 2013 when Chaffey defeated Saddleback, 73-60, in the regional finals.  Saddleback, however, leads the lifetime series, 24-11.