MONTEREY – The SBCC men's basketball team erased a nine-point deficit over the final four minutes to head into its first overtime game of the season, but came up just short in a 95-92 loss to Hartnell on Saturday on day three of the Monterey Bay Classic.
It was the first time two different Vaqueros registered 20-point games, as forward Tommy Condon and guard Elijah Simpson tied for team-high honors with 22 each.
"We showed resilience being down nine with four minutes left to even take a 4-point lead," head coach Devin Engebretsen said. "They hit a three with 16 secs left to tie the game. We had confusion defensively on the last possession and didn't guard the ball."
In the overtime session, Hartnell (4-6) would outscore the Vaqueros (4-7) 10-7. Santa Barbara shot a respectable 46.4 percent from the field as a team, but allowed the opposition to shoot 53.2 percent overall and 9-of-17 (52.9%) from three-point range.
SBCC ended the three-day tournament with a 1-2 mark.
"We struggled defensively the entire game, which is disappointing since we've really been emphasizing team defense and that aspect of the game is how we are going to win," said Engebretsen. "All three games in this tournament were super competitive, and helped us grow as both players and as a team in terms of chemistry. We are now looking forward to being at home for three straight games."
The Vaqueros got to the line with regularity, knocking down 23-of-28 (82.1%) free throws. They outrebounded Hartnell 37-31, but suffered a 17-8 disadvantage in the turnover game.
Simpson set a season-high for the second straight outing, leading the team with a 6-of-7 mark at the line and going 8-for-13 (61.5%) from the field. Condon was efficient both inside and out, converting 7-of-10 field goal attempts and 3-of-6 from the outside.
Point guard Isaiah Hicks was the only other Vaquero to finish in double-figures, going for 15 points on an efficient 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting day.
Santa Barbara will be back home this week to host the 2021 SBCC Holiday Classic from Dec. 9-11, starting with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against College of the Desert on Thursday.