In his first organized basketball game in more than a year, senior guard Jasper Johnson’s 22-point performance helped the Santa Barbara High boys basketball team knock off St. Bonaventure, 63-53, at J.R. Richards Gym on Saturday night.
Johnson scored at will on Saturday, using his length and shooting touch to frustrate the Seraphs defense. In particular, Johnson turned it on offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 22 points, including two deep three-pointers.
“He didn’t do any club stuff, so this was his first organized game with referees in more than a year,” said Santa Barbara coach Corey Adam. “He was ready.”
Johnson’s four 3-pointers led the Dons, who knocked down eight from behind the arc. While this barrage from deep wasn’t necessarily the game plan, Adam complemented the team’s ability to adjust to the defense.
“Credit to (St. Bonaventure) for collapsing when we got in the paint. But we did a good job of finding shooters,” said Adam. “After that, the shooters have to knock down their open shots, and they did that tonight.”
Two other Dons scored in double-figures, with senior forward Erik Strandberg scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 reboounds and senior guard Dylan Borgeson chipping in 10 points. Strandburg scored eight of his 15 points in the paint, while Borgenson knocked down two 3-pointers.
Even when Santa Barbara struggled on the offensive end, the Dons’ swarming defense largely held the Seraphs in check. In the first quarter, Santa Barbara’s length and communication on the defensive end limited St. Bonaventure to four points in the quarter.
The Seraphs chipped away at the Dons’ lead, cutting the deficit to as few as five points in the third quarter. But the early defensive effort from Santa Barbara ultimately proved to be the difference on the night.
“We preach defense, we preach toughness, and we preach being in position defensively and playing defense the right way,” said Adam. “Credit to the guys for buying in.”
Next up, Santa Barbara will host St. Joseph on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
