Santa Barbara High climbed out of an 18-4 hole after one quarter on Friday and outscored Orcutt 26-12 in the second half to edge the Spartans 42-40 on the second day of the Bryan Ayer Classic girls basketball tournament at Lompoc High.
Junior guard Athena Saragosa led the Dons (3-3) with 21 points and five steals. She hit 9-20 from the field and 3-6 from 3-point range.
Caia Trimble added 12 points and Katrina Regalado had 10 rebounds.
The Dons trailed 28-16 at halftime, then won the third quarter 15-6 to trim the deficit to three (34-31) entering the final period.
“We played great defense in the second half, holding them to six points in each of the last two quarters,” said SBHS coach Andy Butcher. “We scratched away until we took the lead in the fourth quarter.”
The Dons will take on a strong Piedmont team on Saturday at 11 a.m.