COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Saddleback Holds On, Remains Tied for First

Saddleback, which spent much of Friday enjoying a comfortable lead, appeared to be on its way to an easy victory in Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball.

But the host Gauchos had to make some clutch free throws to beat Golden West, 90-85, and remain tied for first with Riverside.

Saddleback led, 72-52, with 8 minutes 27 seconds left, but Golden West closed the gap thanks to intense defense and Gerald Rhoden, who had 31 of his game-high 34 points and six three-pointers in the second half.

Golden West’s Matt Murphy made a three-pointer from about 23 feet away with 22 seconds left to cut the Saddleback lead to 86-85. The Gauchos then turned the ball over.

Golden West, out of timeouts, worked the ball around for 10 seconds before guard Tobie Priest tried to pass back to Rhoden, who had broken for the basket. Rhoden reached back and grabbed the jersey of Tes Whitlock and was called for an intentional foul.

Whitlock made both free throws to put Saddleback up, 88-85. The Gauchos then turned the ball over, but a three-point try by Golden West’s Jeff Phillips went off the rim with a second left.

Saddleback’s Josh Borella got the rebound and was fouled, and he made both free throws to finish with a team-high 19 points for Saddleback (20-6, 10-2).

“We got through it,” Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel said. “But it shook our confidence a bit.”