Vaqueros score 50 in first half to beat L.A. Harbor 82-63

Denise Balades, a freshman forward from Santa Clara High, played strong defense and scored 7 points with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. (File photo by Ken Sciallo/Sevilla Photography)
Denise Balades, a freshman forward from Santa Clara High, played strong defense and scored 7 points with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. (File photo by Ken Sciallo/Sevilla Photography)

SBCC found its shooting touch on Saturday morning, riding a 30-9 second-quarter surge to an 82-63 win over L.A. Harbor and the consolation championship of the Lady Bulldog Classic at Hancock College.

The Vaqueros hit 54.5% in the first half, including 9-16 on 3-pointers, to take a 50-22 lead at the break. They outshot Harbor 51.8 to 39.7% for the game and outrebounded them 43-30. The 50 first-half points were two more than they scored in the entire game on Friday when they beat Santa Ana 48-38.

Sophomore guard Meagan Moore poured in a career-high 26 points on 9-15 field goals, 2-6 on 3's and 6-7 free throws. She also had four steals for the Vaqueros, who are off to one of the best starts in school history (8-2).

Jennae Mayberry had a solid all-around game with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Aaliyah Pauling was named all-tournament after a 13-point, four-rebound, four-assist performance.

"To shoot over 51 percent and 45 percent on 3's on the third day of a tournament is a direct correlation to our physical and mental shape," said coach Sandrine Krul. "Denise Balades had a solid game defensively to keep their 6-footers off the glass and Meagan was a scoring machine."

Lauren Noggle had 11 rebounds, Sierra Cavaletto scored 10 points on 3-3 long-range shooting and Balades had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks.

The Vaqueros jumped out to a 10-4 lead and were up 20-13 after the first quarter when they nailed 4-6 from 3-point range. They had a 10-0 run to end the first and start the second quarter, then put together a pair of 9-0 runs in the last eight minutes of the second quarter.

They were up 27-17, then scored nine unanswered points to stretch the lead to 19 (36-17) on two free throws by Moore with 4:57 to go in the second quarter.

The Vaqueros will travel north to play in the eight-team Monterey Peninsula Classic, opening vs. American River on Thursday at 7 p.m.