COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Saddleback Winning Streak Hits 12

Three weeks ago, Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel listed Cypress as one of the favorites for the Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball title.

But Saddleback beat Cypress, 86-66, on Wednesday for its 12th consecutive victory. Saddleback, ranked seventh in the state, is 5-0 in conference and winning by an average of 23 points. Riverside, also 5-0, will face Saddleback on Jan. 25 at Riverside in the final game of the first round.

Saddleback led Cypress by as many as 32 points with 7 minutes 55 seconds left. The Gauchos had pulled their starters with about 13 minutes remaining.

“Three weeks ago I thought Cypress was one of the best teams in Southern California,” Brummel said. “Paul (Bottiaux) was doing one of the best early-season jobs in the state. They have just worn down a little.”

Eric Ambrozich scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds and Sean Morris had 16 points for Saddleback. Jeff Cummins had 15 points for Cypress (14-10, 1-4), which has lost five of its last six.