Santa Barbara High boys basketball went on the road and came away with a 62-57 victory over St. Anthony of Long Beach on Wednesday in the CIF-SS Div. 1 playoff opener.
The Dons will now return home to host Canyon High of Anaheim on Friday at 7 p.m. at JR Richards Gym. Canyon defeated Damien High in the opening round.
Luke Zuffelato filled up the box score for the Dons on Wednesday, collecting 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the win. Meanwhile, Owen Horn dropped 15 points and Cayleb Miller contributed nine of his own.
Horn got Santa Barbara High rolling in the first quarter, knocking down a trio of three-pointers and playing strong defense on St. Anthony’s Darius Williams. The Dons led 20-13 after the opening quarter.
The Santa Barbara High defense continued to shine in the second quarter, preventing the Saints from finding any momentum on the offensive end. By halftime, the Dons led 35-25.
“I credit Coach Hangtin for the (defensive) work he’s been doing all year with our guys,” Santa Barbara High head coach Greg Zuffelato said. “A few games ago everything started to click. Everything Coach Hank taught them all year came together, and we took a major step forward.
“We are a tremendous defensive team because of Coach Hank.”
St. Anthony went on a run out of the halftime break and cut the deficit down to three, but the Dons responded and brought their lead back up to six points with one quarter to play.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle, and the Saints hit a pair of three-pointers late to cut the Santa Barbara High lead down to four.
However, Diesel Lowe knocked down a free throw to go up 62-57 with 18 seconds left and St. Anthony was held scoreless in the final moments.
“Diesel was in foul trouble most of the game and played less than half of the game,” Greg Zuffelato said. “Owen picked up the slack offensively and Cayleb Miller came off the bench and scored nine points but also played fantastic defense along with handling the ball a lot in the second half.”
Luke Zuffelato and Carter Battle dominated the defensive end of the floor, holding St. Anthony’s top two offensive options to just 18 total points after they averaged over 30 combined points per game in the regular season.
Cate 61, Faith Baptist 55 (OT)
Marcus Scudder exploded for 39 points as the Rams pulled out an overtime victory over Faith Baptist on the road in Wednesday’s CIF-SS Div. 4AA opener.
With the victory, Cate will now roll out the welcome mats for a second-round matchup with Savanna High of Anaheim on Friday at 6 p.m.
The Rams struggled offensively in the opening quarter, managing just six points, all of which came from Scudder.
However, Cate’s defense was strong and held Faith Baptist to just 10 points of its own.
The Rams adjusted in the second quarter and managed to cut the deficit down to 22-21 by halftime, thanks in part to seven more points from Scudder.
The duo of Scudder and Josh Butler came out of halftime firing, scoring 20 of Cate’s 22 points in the third quarter to take a 43-40 lead into the fourth.
Faith Baptist stuck around and used strong three-point shooting to tie the game up at 52-52 with 29 seconds left. Scudder had a chance at the game-winner, but the shot did not fall and the game was sent to overtime.
Scudder quickly redeemed himself, scoring all nine of Cate’s overtime points while helping hold Faith Baptist to just three points of its own to pull away for the playoff victory.
To go along with Scudder’s big performance, Butler collected 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals while Braylin Glomah ended with 12 rebounds and four blocks.
La Cañada 60, San Marcos 55
The Royals had their season come to an end with a five-point loss on the road to La Cañada in the CIF-SS Div. 2AA playoffs on Wednesday.
“Such a tough way to end an absolutely unforgettable first year,” San Marcos first-year head coach Matthew Jordan said. “If you had told me we would have finished with a 21-7 record and were placed in D2AA at the beginning of the year I’m not sure I would have believed it.
“It’s hard to put into words just how special a group of kids I got to coach this year.”
After trailing by three points at halftime, San Marcos fought back and took a slim 42-41 lead heading into the fourth.
However, the Royals struggled to contain the La Cañada offense in the fourth quarter and ultimately took the road loss.
“It was brutal to lose in such a heartbreaking fashion, and our team truly felt that pain in the locker room,” Jordan said. “That pain only comes from a bunch of kids that were bonded together and cared for one another.
“We had a love for each other that felt special and rare. The saddest part about tonight is not that we don’t get to play basketball together again.”
Koji Hefner led San Marcos with 18 points and Brody Green followed with 17 of his own.
San Marcos ends the year with a 21-8 overall record, including an 11-3 mark in Channel League play.
“It’s truly such a special group of boys. I will never forget this year,” Jordan said. “I’m humbled and honored that I was given the opportunity to lead this program and these boys.
“I know we will come back with a chip on our shoulder next year and be ready to compete at a very high level.”
