Orange County Community College Basketball : Cole Leads Rancho Santiago to Championship, 65-64

Rancho Santiago College’s Howard Cole scored 13 points Tuesday night to lead the Dons to a 65-64 victory over Saddleback in the championship game of the Rancho Santiago Holiday Tournament in Bill Cook Gym.

Cole, the tournament’s most valuable player, suffered a personal tragedy Sunday when his father, Howard Cole Sr., died of a heart attack.

Cole, who scored 28 points Monday in Rancho Santiago’s victory over Skagit Valley, Wash., and 21 Saturday in a win over San Bernardino Valley, dedicated Tuesday’s game to the memory of his father.

“It just made me play harder,” Cole said. “It gave me strength to play harder. That is the way he would have wanted me to play.”

Cole, a 6-foot 6-inch sophomore forward from Verbum Dei, was involved in a pivotal play Tuesday.

With the Dons ahead, 65-64, he drove the lane and made a layup but was called for charging. It was his fifth foul and it came with 18 seconds left.

He could only squeeze his frustration into an empty water bottle and watch as his teammates tried to hold the slim lead.

The Gauchos called two timeouts to design a play but couldn’t get a shot off as time ran out.

After being behind, 59-47, with 10:20 left, the Gauchos outscored Rancho Santiago, 14-2 and tied the score, 61-61 on a three-point shot by Mike Minier.

The score was also tied, 63-63, but the Dons (15-3) went ahead 65-63 on two free throws by Simon Thomas.

Tom Desiano made the front end of a one-and-one to but missed the second with 50 seconds left.

Brent Martin was the leading scorer for the Dons, who have won nine straight, with 15 points.

Mike Minier scored 19, Vicent Smalls and Desiano 14 for the Gauchos (13-4), who had their 10-game winning streak snapped.

In other Rancho Santiago Holiday Tournament games:

Fullerton 96, San Bernardino Valley 68--Bill Buda and Troy Joseph scored 16 points each to lead the Hornets (12-5) to the consolation championship.

In the San Diego Mesa Tournament:

Orange Coast 69, Imperial Valley 63--Rob Mase scored 23 points to lead the Pirates to the tournament championship.

Tournament most valuable player Chuck McGavran added 13 points for Orange Coast (16-3), which has won three tournaments this season and is off to its best start since its state championship year of 1979.

In women’s basketball:

Golden West 105, College of the Desert 86--Jeannine Battaglia scored 32 points to lead the undefeated Rustlers (17-0) to the tournament championship. The score was tied, 76-76, with about five minutes to play but Golden West outscored the Roadrunners (9-3), 29-10, the rest of the game. Lynn Sherow had 35 for College of the Desert and Stephnie Lamarr added 32.