COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Ambrozich Sparks Saddleback’s Victory Over Dons

When it mattered most, Eric Ambrozich delivered.

Ambrozich, a 6-7 sophomore center, scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half as Saddleback won the Rancho Santiago Holiday Classic with a 79-70 victory over the host Dons Friday night.

“Eric really carried us in the second half,” Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel said. “He’s played well throughout the tournament. He really picked up his aggressiveness throughout the game.”

Ambrozich, the tournament’s most valuable player, saved his best after the Dons (12-4) rallied from a 57-46 deficit with a 9-0 run to pull to within two midway through the second half.

At that point, three straight baskets by the former Irvine High standout gave Saddleback (13-3) a 63-56 lead with 7:31 remaining.

The Dons twice cut the lead to four, but got no closer as Ambrozich, Micah Kroeger and Anthony Carter answered with critical points down the stretch. Free throws by guard Frank Allen during the final minute sealed the victory for the Gauchos, who won their seventh in a row and won the tournament title for the second consecutive year.

Ambrozich also grabbed 12 rebounds, seven on offensive.

Carter and Kroeger, a freshman guard from Edison High, each had 19 points. Carter scored 15 in the first half. Allen added 13.

Rancho Santiago guard Nick Holt led all scorers with 26 points, 17 in the first half. But foul trouble forced him to the bench early in the second half.