SG McKay LaSalle hit six 3-pointers for a game-high 18 pts as #1 Saddleback posted a 57-48 win over visiting #3 Riverside, clinching the Orange Empire Conference title in the process Wednesday night in Mission Viejo.
Saddleback (24-4, 11-0) led most of the way, opening 11-point leads in each half. Riverside (19-7, 9-2) got within four points with 5:32 left, but never quite caught up as the Gauchos made enough free throws late to put the game away.
It was a match-up of the deliberately-paced Gauchos and the pressure-oriented Tigers, and it was no surprise neither team reached 60 points. The teams met last month in Riverside, with Saddleback coming away with a 56-52 win after holding a 17-13 lead at halftime. Last season, Riverside ended Saddleback's season with a 50-41 playoff win in a game that was tied 13-13 at the half.
There was a little more scoring this time around, thanks primarily to LaSalle, who made twice as many 3-pointers as all the other players in the game combined. His 6 threes were the only 3-pointers Saddleback made in the game as well, and he was the only Gaucho to score in double figures.
Saddleback took an early 3-0 led on a 3-point play by SF Darnell Taylor after a steal. That would be the only scoring until Riverside PF Shannon Fowler scored on a putback with 15:16 left. Then Ctr Thomas Folsom scored off a pass from SF Bernard Ireland to give Riverside a 4-3 lead.
That would be Riverside's only lead of the game, however, and PG Alexis Moore made a short jumper to put Saddleback back ahead, 5-4, with 14:35 left. Fowler split two free throws to pull Riverside even, 5-5, with 13:34 remaining.
Then Saddleback took a lead on a short jumper by Ctr Casey Oldemoppen, and pushed its lead to 10-6 on the first 3-pointer by LaSalle. LaSalle's second 3-pointer of the night increased the Gaucho lead to five points at 13-8, and started a 9-0 run that eventually led to the first double-digit lead for Saddleback. PF Omar Richards scored on a tip-in, Oldemoppen made a short hook and Taylor made a jumper from the free throw line to make it 19-8 with 7:40 left in the first half.
Riverside rallied from that deficit with a 12-3 run to get within two points late in the first half. A putback basket by Folsom, a lay-up by Ctr Anthony Rounds and a free throw by Fowler made it 19-13. LaSalle hit another three for the Gauchos, but Riverside got two free throws each from SG Dominique Lanier and SF Jeffrey Gonzalez to make it 22-17. Then Gonzalez made a 3-pointer to get the Tigers within two points at 22-20 with under a minute to go in the first half.
That, however, would be the closest Riverside would get. Oldemoppen scored off a pass from Taylor to make it 24-20 at halftime. At that point, Riverside was shooting just 28% from the floor but had made 9 of 10 free throws to stay close; Taylor's free throw after the game's opening basket was Saddleback's only free throw attempt of the first half.
When the second half started, Saddleback gradually increased its lead, matching the 11-point advantage it had in the first half. Ctr Carlton Hayes picked up a loose ball in the lane and laid it in to make it 28-23, and LaSalle hit another three to make it 31-23. PF Josh Smith scored off a pass from SG A.J. Brevard to push the lead to ten at 35-25. LaSalle's 5th 3-pointer of the night pushed the Gaucho lead back to 11 at 38-27 with about 12 minutes to go.
Riverside chipped away at the deficit, starting with a free throw from PG Mason Biddle and a 3-point play from Lanier to make it 38-31. A short jumper by SG Mark Wilson mde it 40-35 with just under 8 minutes left. LaSalle hit his 6th 3-pointer for Saddleback to make it 43-35, but this time Lanier answered with a 3-pointer of his own for Riverside moments later. A 3-pointer by Gonzalez brought the Tigers within four points at 47-43 with 5:32 remaining.
Riverside also trailed by four points at 49-45 after a basket by Folsom with 4:10 left, but never got any closer. Hayes hit a short jumper for Saddleback and Smith scored on a third-chance putback to make it 53-45. Lanier made two free throws for Riverside with 1:28 left to get the Tigers within six at 53-47, but Brevard made two free throws with 1:22 left and two more with 28.9 seconds left to seal the win for Saddleback.
LaSalle and his six 3-pointers led the way for Saddleback; his 18 pts were a game-high. Smith had 8 pts, 8 rebs and 3 asts. Oldemoppen came off the bench for 8 pts and also had 2 blocked shots. Taylor had 7 pts and Brevard had 6. Hayes also had 6 pts and tied Smith for game-honors with 8 rebs.
For Riverside, Lanier had 17 pts and 6 rebs, both team-highs, plus 2 asts and a steal. But that was RCC's only steal of the night, and he was the only Tiger to score more than 7 points. Overall, Riverside shot 27% from the floor.
The win gives Saddleback a 2-game lead in the OEC race with one game left to play, clinching the OEC title for the Gauchos. Riverside falls to 19-7 overall and 9-2 in the conference, and will wrap up its regular season Friday at Irvine Valley.
box score
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 - 5:30 pm
at Saddleback College, Mission Viejo
Orange Empire Conference
Riverside Tigers 48:
0-Dominique Lanier, SG - 2/6 fg, 12/15 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 17 pts
5-Mason Biddle, PG - 2/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 6 pts
21-Bernard Ireland, SF - 0/4 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 4 pf, 0 pts
24-Shannon Fowler, PF - 1/5 fg, 2/4 ft, 5 reb, 1 blk, 2 pf, 4 pts
40-Anthony Rounds, C - 1/6 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
44-Thomas Folsom, C - 3/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 6 pts
2-Joses Franklin, G - 1/2 ft, 1 pt
4-Jeffrey Gonzalez, F - 1/3 fg, 4/6 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 7 pts
10-Kendall Schmidt, G - 1/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 6 reb, 1 pf, 3 pts
14-Nate Robinson, G - 1 reb, 0 pts
13-Mark Wilson, G - 1/3 fg, 2 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 12/44 fg (.273), 21/31 ft (.677), 32 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 11 pf, 48 pts
3-pt fg (3): Lanier, Biddle, Gonzalez
Turnovers (14): Lanier 3, Biddle 2, Rounds 2, Gonzalez 2, Ireland, Fowler, Robinson, team 2
Saddleback Gauchos 57:
20-Alexis Moore, PG - 1/3 fg, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 2 pts
23-Darnell Taylor, SF - 2/6 fg, 3/3 ft, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 7 pts
25-Josh Smith, PF - 4/8 fg, 8 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 8 pts
31-McKay LaSalle, SG - 6/13 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 18 pts
34-Carlton Hayes, C - 3/6 fg, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 6 pts
24-A.J. Brevard, G - 0/4 fg, 6/6 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 6 pts
11-Miles Green, G - 0/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 0 pts
32-Alex Worthen-Harris, F - 2 reb, 3 pf, 0 pts
41-Casey Oldemoppen, C - 4/5 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 8 pts
35-Omar Richards, F - 1/3 fg, 4 reb, 1 pf, 2 pts
10-De'Corrius Sampson-Young, G - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 21/49 fg (.429), 9/10 ft (.900), 37 reb, 15 ast, 3 blk, 6 stl, 21 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (6): LaSalle 6
Technical Foul: Taylor (hanging on rim)
Turnovers (14): Moore 3, Taylor 3, Hayes 2, Smith, LaSalle, Green, Richards, Sampson-Young, team
Halftime Score: Saddleback 24, Riverside 20
Updated Records: Saddleback (#1-South, #2-Calif) 24-4 overall, 11-0 in OEC; Riverside (#3-South, #7-Calif) 19-7 overall, 9-2 in OEC
Riverside led 4-3; Saddleback led the rest of the game and by 11 in each half.
Riverside got within 4 with 5:32 left and trailed 49-45 with 4:10 left.
Brevard made 4 FTs in the last 1:22 to help clinch the win for Saddleback.
Saddleback clinches the OEC championship with this win.
