In a gritty matchup full of late lead changes, the shorthanded Santa Barbara High boys basketball team outlasted Moorpark for a 55-49 win on Monday inside JR Richards Gym.
The Dons, without point guard Tobin Shyrock and big man Jack Holdren, grabbed their first lead in the third quarter and fought off a strong comeback effort by the Musketeers.
“They’re tough minded and they can finish games,” Santa Barbara head coach Greg Zuffelato said about his team. “Everybody did what they had to do.”
It was a quiet first quarter as both offenses struggled to find a groove. After the final eight minutes, Moorpark held onto a slim 9-8 lead.
The offense picked up a bit in the second quarter, but it was more of the same on the scoreboard. The Musketeers continued to answer the Dons’ scoring attack with easy buckets of their own, leading to them holding a 26-23 lead heading into halftime.
Aggressive rebounding and play in the paint by Finn Whipps helped keep Santa Barbara High in the game in the first half. He had eight rebounds heading into the locker room and ended with 10.
Coming out of halftime, the Dons got off to a hot start thanks to the play of freshman Owen Horn, who has stepped into a larger role with Shyrock sidelined.
Horn converted a second-chance layup, hit a three-pointer and drove in for a floater to give Santa Barbara its first lead of the night at 30-29 with 6:20 to go in the third.
“Owen made huge baskets,” Coach Zuffelato said. “As a freshman, he has been huge with big threes and clutch plays this season.”
Following a layup by Moorpark, Luke Zuffelato nailed a three-pointer off a pass from Horn and Horn picked up another second-chance bucket on the very next possession to grab a 35-31 lead.
That lead held for the rest of the third quarter, which was highlighted by a crafty euro-step floater by Zuffelato and a scoop pass assist by Lenny Nauheim to Cayleb Miller.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Dons led 43-47.
However, that lead was quickly erased as Santa Barbara High turned the ball over in four out of their first five possessions in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Musketeers were getting it done on the offensive end to hold a 46-43 lead with 4:23 to go.
Luke Zuffelato answered Moorpark’s run with a quick three-pointer off a screen to even the game back up.
Following two more buckets by the Musketeers and a turnover by the Dons, Coach Greg Zuffelato called a timeout with 2:30 and his team down 49-46.
Coming out of the timeout, Horn came away with a steal and found Whipps for a layup to cut the lead to one with just under two minutes to go.
Luke Zuffelato followed that up with a block on the defensive end and, after he missed a three-pointer and got his own rebound, kicked it out to the waiting arms of DJ Wilson, who buried a shot from beyond the arc to send the crowd wild and give the Dons a 51-49 lead.
Santa Barbara then got another stop on the defensive end and hit their free throws, sealing the 55-49 victory. Following the timeout with 2:30 left, the Dons defense did not allow a point.
“What we have shown is that we can win close games,” Coach Zuffelato said. “We didn’t play well and it wasn’t pretty but they all did what it took to win.”
Luke Zuffelato ended with a game-high 17 points while playing the point guard role with Shyrock out. Meanwhile, Horn poured in 14 points as the only other Don in double figures.
Santa Barbara High (3-0) will make the trip out to Arizona to play in a tournament, facing off against Chaparral, Notre Dame Prep and Skyline Prep.
“I love the team, they’re a great group of guys that work hard and are very committed,” Coach Zuffelato said. “I know we’re going to continue to improve.”
