Sophia Torres had one of her best games of the year on Thursday with 24 points, 16 rebounds and six steals to lead SBCC over L.A. Harbor 58-49 on the first day of the Hancock Tournament in Santa Maria.
The Vaqueros (6-2) were playing their first game in 12 days.
They had to contend with a pair of big post players in 6-2 Brion Turner and 6-1 Chioma Nzeogu. Turner had 20 points and 18 rebounds while Nzeogu collected 13 points and 12 boards for Harbor (6-3).
Torres, a 5-11 sophomore from Santa Barbara High, grabbed a season-high 11 offensive rebounds as the Vaqueros outrebounded the taller Seahawks 53-51. Torres scored 24 for the second straight game, missing her season highs by one point and one rebound. Alondra Jimenez added 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals but also committed eight turnovers.
The Vaqueros won the second quarter 20-13 and led 27-21 at halftime.
Both teams struggled from the 3-point line with SBCC making just 1-12 and Harbor misfiring on all 11 attempts. The Vaqueros used 10 players and the Seahawks only played six.
"We played really good defense in the second half," said coach Sandrine Krul. "We only had seven turnovers and seven fouls in the last two quarters.
"Danielle Wilkes (6-foot freshman from Santa Clarita) came off the bench and did a great job of slowing down their 6-2 post players in the second half."
The Vaqueros led by as many as 11 points (35-24) when Jimenez hit a jumper with 5:51 to go in the third quarter.
The Seahawks pulled within three on three occasions in the final quarter with the last one at 52-49 with 3:43 to play. SBCC outscored Harbor 6-0 the rest of the way.
"We didn't have Alyssa De Vries today, so we were going with our 10-4-40 motto," added Krul. "That means 10 players going hard for 40 minutes. Everyone contributed today."
After opening the season with six straight home games, the Vaqueros are playing their next 10 at neutral sites or on the road. They won't be home again until Jan. 11, 2020 when they host Oxnard at 5 p.m.
The Vaqueros will take on Santa Ana on Friday at 3 p.m. in the Hancock Tournament.
