Ealy guides Gauchos into finals

The Saddleback women's basketball team defeated Santa Barbara City College, 75-63, in the semifinals of the San Diego City College Tournament on Saturday in San Diego.  Irma Ealy had a second straight big game in leading the way.

Ealy finished with 25 points on Saturday after a 28-point performance on Friday.  The sophomore was again red hot from the field, finishing 11-of-14 while leading the team with eight rebounds.  Ealy scored 14 points in the opening half as Saddleback took a 38-29 lead into the locker room.  The Gauchos trailed 25-20 at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter before taking control of the game.  Saddleback went on an 18-4 run to finish the half, with Ealy scoring six points during the run.

Saddleback had four player finish in double-figures on the day.  Janae Omusi had 16, Kara Ito 12 and Kiazha Ginwright 11 as Saddleback struggled from three-point range but were red hot from inside the arc.  The Gauchos were just 1-of-18 from downtown, but shot 66% from the rest of the floor. 

Saddleback opened up the game in the third quarter as Ealy scored 11 in the quarter.  The Gauchos kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter as Ito made a jumper to increase the lead to 18 at 64-46 with 8:36 remaining.  Destinee King did the best she could to keep Santa Barbara in the game, finishing with a game-high 27 points. 

Saddleback will play host San Diego City in the finals after the Knights defeated Los Angeles Southwest in the other semifinal, 68-47.  Tip time for the championships game is scheduled for 2:00 PM.