Both San Marcos and Santa Barbara High boys basketball notched victories in non-league action on Friday.
San Marcos 78, Newbury Park 55
The Royals picked up their first win of the season, dominating Newbury Park to the tune of a 23-point victory.
After San Marcos got off to a 26-8 lead in the first quarter, it was smooth sailing from there thanks to strong offensive play and lockdown defense.
“The ball was moving very well on offense tonight, guys were looking for each other and we were able to knock down shots early,” Royals coach James Kinzler said. “Our defensive intensity took a step forward tonight as well.
“Proud of the effort we came with. We had some lapses but it’s a process and we have a lot of learning and growing to do.”
Sophomore forward Koji Hefner led the way for San Marcos with 19 points while Joe Pasternack followed up in double figures with 13.
Micah Jacobi and Brody Green tallied eight and seven points, respectively.
“Brody and Micah were both excellent tonight facilitating for others and that is something we talk about a lot and will need to do to be successful,” Kinzler said.
The Royals (1-1) will take on Righetti on the road on Tuesday.
Santa Barbara 55, Royal 53
The Dons came away with a comeback victory over Royal on the road.
After trailing 30-17 at halftime due to a slow offensive start, Santa Barbara turned it up and dropped 38 points in the second half en route to the win.
The defensive intensity also stepped up in the second half, as Will Harman and the Dons held Royal to just nine points in the third quarter and 14 points in the fourth.
Luke Zuffelato led the offensive charge with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds. He also went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Freshman Owen Horn hit some key shots in the second half, ending with 11 points.
Santa Barbara (2-0) will take a week off and be back against Moorpark on Monday, Nov. 27.
Thacher 54, Carpinteria 43
The Warriors fell behind early and couldn’t recover, dropping the matchup with Thacher for their first loss of the season.
“We started slow but I am proud of how our guys competed until the final whistle,” Carpinteria coach Jackson Hall said.
The junior duo of Carlo Suarez and Sebastian Reed led the Warriors in scoring with nine points apiece while Aiden Alcaraz chipped in eight of his own.
Carpinteria (1-1) will take on Santa Ynez for their home opener on Wednesday at 6 p.m.