COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Saddleback Runs Wild in Playoff Opener

Six Saddleback players scored in double figures and the team had a season-high point total in a 107-93 victory over College of the Desert in the first round of the Southern California Regional men’s basketball playoffs Saturday in Mission Viejo.

The Gauchos (18-11) used an up-tempo style for the entire game and often used a full-court press. Saddleback advances to play fifth-seeded Imperial Valley in the second round Wednesday. Imperial Valley defeated Oxnard, 87-56, Saturday.

Freshman center Dee Boyer had a team-high 23 points for Saddleback in his most impressive game of the season. He had a career-high 17 rebounds and was 10 of 14 from the field. He had five blocked shots.

Ray Ankton added 22 points and five assists, Matt Thompson had 20 points and eight rebounds, and Greg Reynolds and Edmond Johnson had 10 each. Johnson also had eight assists.

Saddleback’s running game helped the Gauchos to a 56-47 lead at the break and Desert (17-15) had only one serious charge in the second half. The Roadrunners closed th gap to 73-69 with 11 minutes 36 seconds left.

But Saddleback got a layin from Thompson and a three-pointer from Reynolds to widen the lead to 78-69 with 10:43 left. Saddleback continued the pressure at both ends the rest of the game.

The move was a bit a departure from the more conservative Gauchos. Saddleback had used a slow-down tactics effectively this season and upset Rancho Santiago and Cypress, the top two teams in the Orange Empire Conference.

“We didn’t know a great deal about them,” Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel said. “So we figured that we would pound the ball down the court and try and tire them out. We haven’t tried to play that high-speed before and we made a few mistakes but I think this team can go a little further.”

Craig Vaughn scored a game-high 38 points and Phil Loretz had 23 points, including seven three-points for Desert.

In other playoff games:

Rancho Santiago 124, San Bernardino Valley 104--The top-seeded Dons made 37 of 45 free throws to set single-game record for attempts and conversions in the victory in Santa Ana. Erik Martin had 30 points and Corie Blount had 28.

The pair, who were the most valuable players in the Orange Empire Conference, had 11 rebounds each. Glenn Greene had 15 points and LaVern Broadnax added 12 for Rancho Santiago (30-2), which plays host to Santa Monica in the second round Wednesday. Santa Monica defeated El Camino, 82-73, Saturday.

Cypress 89, Bakersfield 71--Leading, 40-29, at halftime, host Cypress opened the second half with a 16-7 run climaxed by Sam Sabbara’s three-point play to make it 56-36 and put the game out of reach.

Eric Pauley, Cypress’ 6-10 sophomore center, became the school’s all-time single-season point leader late in the game. When he hit a four-foot bank shot for his 11th and 12th points of the game, Pauley broke the record of 664 points set by Ron Davis in the 1978-79 season. Pauley made 14 points on the night, bringing his season total to 668.

Teammates Brian Kenney had 12 points and Chris Bowen added 11. Bakersfield ends, 12-19.

Cypress advances to play Antelope Valley in the second round. Antelope Valley defeated East Los Angeles, 124-118, Saturday.

Fullerton 96, Pasadena 91--Garry Hunter scored 36 points and Bob Terry added 23 and 12 rebounds as Fullerton (16-15) won on the road. Fullerton took the lead for good, 61-60, with 11:52 left then went on a 14-6 run to lead, 75-66, with 6:38 left. Fullerton travels to Ventura in the second round Wednesday. Kenny Cross added 11 for Fullerton.

Ventura 78, Golden West 63--The loss in Ventura eliminates Golden West (11-20) from the playoffs. Scott Campbell scored 20 and Paig Parish 13 for Golden West. Lester Neal had 22 points and 17 rebounds for Ventura (29-4), the fourth-seeded team.