Santa Barbara sophomore Luke Zuffelato scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Dons to a 97-62 season-opening rout of Channel Islands Tuesday at home.
“It was a solid overall effort tonight by the Dons,” coach Corey Adam said. “We had a great first half both offensively and defensively.”
Sophomore Carter Battle missed his first 3-point attempt of the game, but came back to hit three treys in a row to help Santa Barbara to a 31-14 first quarter lead. The Dons held the Raiders to nine points in the second quarter and led 52-33 at the half.
From there, “The margin remained the same for most of the half,” Adam said. “It was a nice overall effort by the boys. As coaches we really like how the boys moved the ball and made the extra pass.”
Battle added 16 points “and multiple deflections on D,” Adam said. Will Harmon also scored 16 points and added seven rebounds. Julian Espinosa was the fourth Don in double figures with 12 points. Tobin Shyrock had nine points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Santa Barbara hits the road on Friday to take on a “very difficult” Gahr High School, and on Saturday faces an “equally difficult” Walnut at the St. John Bosco Showcase, Adam said.