Hancock rides fast start to 63-44 win over Vaqueros

Hancock jumped out to leads of 14-4 and 28-10 on Wednesday on the way to a 63-44 WSC North men's basketball win over SBCC at the Sports Pavilion.

Lawrence Johnson led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points as the Bulldogs spoiled SBCC's Sophomore Night. Shamel Williams added 14 points off the bench to help Hancock (13-12, 8-3) move into a tie for second with L.A. Pierce. The Bulldogs could claim a share of the WSC title by beating visiting Oxnard on Saturday.

Justin Holden led the Vaqueros (4-19, 0-11) with a season-high 12 points off the bench. Center Thomas Walker added 10 points and seven rebounds. Alex Koutroubis, one of three sophomores playing their final home game, had six points and eight rebounds.

Hancock forced 14 first-half turnovers and held the Vaqueros to 36 percent shooting. The Bulldogs led 39-20 at the break. SBCC had 20 turnovers for the game and was outscored by 16 at the free-throw line with Hancock making 17-24 and the Vaqueros 1-4.

The Vaqueros went on an 18-6 second-half run and pulled within six, 46-40, on a 3-pointer by Holden with 10:11 remaining. The Bulldogs regained control with an 11-0 run that stretched the lead to 17.

"We did a nice job of fighting back," said coach Morris Hodges. "Our starters made a great run in the second half, then we kind of ran out of gas. We made it a two-possession game, then we had a bunch of empty trips."

Alonzo McCain had five points, four steals and three assists in his final home game and Jon Montez grabbed five rebounds in just eight minutes.

The Vaqueros finish their season on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at L.A. Pierce in Woodland Hills. The Brahmas (16-12, 8-3) are also seeking a share of the WSC North crown with Hancock and Cuesta (9-3).