Athena Saragoza scored 18 of her game-high 33 points in the first half, and Santa Barbara High’s girls basketball team played a strong defensive game in beating Lompoc, 58-34, on Thursday night to clinch the Channel League title outright.
The Dons are 8-0 in league and 15-9 overall.
Santa Barbara led 27-19 at halftime and then made 12 of 22 shots in the second half to pull away.
Jaeda Spence played an all-around fine game, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out five assists and making five steals. Trina Regalado had nine rebounds and Maya Banks had eight boards and played a good defensive game against Lompoc’s 6-foot-1 Kayla Taylor.
Before the game, the Dons and Braves paid tribute to NBA superstar and legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and the seven others killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Both teams wore T-shirts with the phrase “Heroes come and go, but legends are forever” stenciled on the front and “Mamba Mentality” and the jersey numbers of Kobe and Gianna on the back. The teams gathered in a circle at midcourt and held a moment of silence for all the victims of the tragedy.
“The idea came from my girls,” said Santa Barbara assistant Carlina Gonzalez of producing the shorts. “(Head coach) Andrew (Butcher) and I were able to produce the shirts in our screenprint room on campus.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Before its game against Lompoc, the Santa Barbara High girls basketball team held a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the other victims of the helicopter crash that took their lives. The team made T-shirts to honor Kobe and Gianna. pic.twitter.com/DxyL4s0u2k
— NoozhawkSports (@NoozhawkSports) January 31, 2020