Gauchos too much for Lasers

The Saddleback men's basketball team is now in third place in the Orange Empire Conference standings after a 68-46 win against Irvine Valley College on Wednesday night at the Saddleback gymnasium.  The Gauchos have one more game remaining on the schedule before starting the playoffs next week.

Saddleback fans started the night with hamburgers, music and games outside the gymnasium as a part of a fundraising effort for Coaches vs. Cancer.  The team had just as much fun inside the gymnasium once the game was started, beating their inter-district rivals and improving to 18-9 overall and 11-4 in Orange Empire Conference play.

Saddleback was down 11-9 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the opening half before Keegan Cummins and Tristan Williams made back-to-back layups for a 13-11 lead.  It was the beginning of an 8-0 run and the Gauchos never again trailed.  Saddleback ended up outscoring Irvine Valley 23-13 over the final 13 minutes in taking a 32-24 lead into the locker room.

Saddleback extended the lead to 13 points in the first three minutes of the second half as Dillon Waikle, Williams and David Dial all made layups.  The Gaucho lead would reach 15 points after Deviian Williams had a thunderous dunk for a 46-31 advantage with 13:43 remaining.  Saddleback's biggest lead of the game came with under two minutes remaining when George Maslennikov made a layup for a 66-42 advantage. 

Saddleback finished the game shooting 56% from the field and 36% from three-point range.  Dial finished with a team-high 13 points while Williams had 12 and Captain Whitlock had 11.  The Gaucho defense was completely dominant for most of the night, blocking six shots while holding the Lasers to 36% shooting and forcing 14 turnovers.

Saddleback finishes the regular season at Fullerton College on Friday night.  The Gauchos and Hornets are scheduled to tip off at 6:00 PM in Fullerton.

Saddleback fans were treated to In-N-Out Burger before the game, which was donated by the Mission Hills Church.  They also had music and games outside the gymnasium provided by the student body as part of a fundraising effort for Coaches vs. Cancer.