Santa Barbara High boys basketball captured a 66-52 victory over Ridgefield High of Connecticut on Friday at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Luke Zuffelato was named the MVP of the game, collecting 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists while holding Ridgefield’s Peter Szpakowski, who stands at 6-foot-7, to just 12 points.
The Dons got out to a slow start, falling behind 25-15 early in the second quarter after struggling from beyond the arc after the cross-country trip.
However, Santa Barbara High took advantage of the halftime break and came out of the locker room ready to go.
The Dons outscored Ridgefield 41-25 in the second half while knocking down 10 three-pointers. Diesel Lowe led the comeback effort, scoring 18 of his 22 points in the second half.
“Diesel was a huge lift for us offensively,” Santa Barbara High head coach Greg Zuffelato said. “When we were struggling, he got us a bucket.”
Santa Barbara’s Kyler Piacentini contributed four points and four rebounds while Carter Battle turned in another dominant defensive performance.
The Dons will return to Channel League play on Wednesday when they host Pacifica at 7 p.m.
Dos Pueblos 62, Buena 44
The Chargers took control early and never let go on their way to a Channel League win over the Bulldogs in Ventura.
Dos Pueblos’ defense held Buena to two points in the opening quarter to begin the game on a 15-2 run.
From there, the Chargers held the Bulldogs at a distance and finished off the win with a 23-point fourth quarter.
“We really came out fast in the first quarter and did a good job executing against their traps,” Chargers head coach Joe Zamora said. “Our post play between Wyatt (Gardiner) and Coulter (Jay) was really fun to watch tonight against their 2–3 zone.
“Defensively, we did a good job limiting them to only a few offensive rebounds. When they went to their 1-3-1 zone our guard play stepped up and really did a good job executing against it.”
Gardiner and Jay each tallied 11 points in the paint while Danny Pizano knocked down six three-pointers and led all scorers with 22 points. Shane Grant added in 12 of his own.
Dos Pueblos (11-11, 3-5 Channel League) will be on the road against Ventura on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Dunn 76, Bishop Diego 75 (2OT)
Dunn’s Theo Andersen drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater in Friday’s matchup with the Cardinals inside the Brick House.
Earlier in the night, Bishop Diego got out to a 12-0 lead to begin the game and eventually held a solid 19-12 advantage after the first quarter.
However, Dunn bounced back and found more success in the second to cut the Cardinal lead to 31-29 at halftime.
“I’ll say again and again, when we move the ball and move without the ball, we are pretty tough to stop, but once the ball starts sticking with over dribbling we struggle,” Bishop Diego head coach James Coronado said.
“I knew they had a size advantage on us but our positioning and rebounding is what hurt us, not their size. We have to battle every possession and we are just too inconsistent with our collective effort.”
The two teams then exchanged blows down the stretch, ending in ties at the end of regulation and the first overtime.
However, it was Dunn who got the last laugh on Andersen’s buzzer-beater to cap off a 26-point, 20-rebound performance. His teammate Nyoul Aguek tallied 23 points and 17 boards.
“We put ourselves in position to take control of the game at the end of regulation and both overtimes but when we needed a play, we just didn’t make it,” Coronado said. “I felt our IQ just wasn’t there when we needed it the most. Key defensive lapses and lack of ball movement and rhythm on offense hurt us all night.
“Credit goes to Dunn, they played hard and stayed in the game all night. They made a few plays they needed and we didn’t, simple as that.”
Damien Krautmann led the Bishop Diego offense with 23 points while Crew Sjovold added 17.
Santa Ynez 63, Righetti 62
The three-headed attack of Lucas Ollenburger, Jude Pritchard and Ikenna Ofieali led Santa Ynez to a one-point win over Righetti on Friday.
Ollenburger led the team in scoring with 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile, Pritchard dropped 20 points and hauled in eight rebounds.
Ofiaeli tallied a double-double for the Pirates with 18 points and 11 rebounds.