Santa Barbara High boys basketball’s season came to a close with an 85-81 loss to San Marcos of San Diego in the opening round of the CIF Div. 3 State Tournament on Tuesday.
“I am so proud of this group of amazing student-athletes,” Dons coach Greg Zuffelato said. “They never give up and never quit. It was an honor to coach all 15 players.
“It was an amazing season by an amazing group of young men.”
After a four-hour bus drive down to San Diego, Santa Barbara High got off to a fast start and led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter.
San Marcos gained its footing in the second quarter, cutting the Dons’ lead down to 33-30 heading into halftime.
The Knights carried that momentum into a dominant third quarter, where they outscored Santa Barbara High 36-22 to take a 66-55 lead into the fourth quarter.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the San Marcos lead had expanded out to 13 points. However, Luke Zuffelato got hot exactly when the Dons needed him.
He hit five of his game-high eight three-pointers down the stretch and Owen Horn added in a pair of long balls to cut the San Marcos advantage to three points with 30 seconds left.
However, the Dons couldn’t close the gap and the Knights hit their final free throws to clinch the victory.
Luke Zuffelato was a force to be reckoned with all night long, tying his own program record with 46 points in the loss.
With his 46-point effort, Luke Zuffelato became the Santa Barbara High record holder for points in a season with 885, surpassing Paul Johnson’s 864-point season.
The Dons will look to bounce back in Luke Zuffelato’s senior year next season with strong reinforcements on the way.
