Walker provides spark in playoff opener

The Saddleback men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Regional Tournament with a 75-67 win over Antelope Valley College on Wednesday night inside the Saddleback gymnasium.  The Gauchos will play at East Los Angeles College on Saturday night in the second round.

Saddleback trailed in the early part of the game before finding their stride and gliding to a win.  The Gauchos took the lead when Jerique Walker made a jumper with 12:15 remaining in the first half, and from that point forward never trailed.  It was the second straight basket for Walker, who came off the bench to energize the team.  Walker would finish with a season-high 14 points after playing a season-high 24 minutes.

Saddleback took a 14-point lead with 5:26 remaining after Nik Lipovic made a three-pointer for a 28-14 lead.  It was part of a 15-3 run for the Gauchos, who eventually cooled down and had a 37-33 lead at the intermission.

Saddleback came out of the locker room hot, with Lipovic and David Dial drilling back-to-back three-pointers as the lead swelled back to 10 points.  It was the beginning of a big half for Dial, who had 12 second-half points in leading the Gauchos with 22 points for the night.  

The lead remained between six and 10 points until late in the game when Captain Whitlock made a pair of layups as Saddleback put the game away in the final minutes.

Saddleback is now 19-10 overall after the win.  The Gauchos will play at East Los Angeles College (27-1) on Saturday night at 7:00 PM.  The Huskies are the No. 2 seed in the southern half of the state.