No. 1 Saddleback takes down Vaqueros

Saddleback shot 63.6 percent in the opening half on Friday night and built a 52-21 lead on the way to a 95-40 men's basketball win over SBCC in the Wild West Shootout at West L.A. College.

The defending state champion Gauchos (4-0) are ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. Breaon Brady led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points on a night when all 15 players got in the scorebook. It was the 16th straight win for Saddleback, which went 33-2 last season.

Saddleback outshot the Vaqueros 54.7 to 18.8 percent and hit 9-16 from 3-point country compared to 1-14 for SBCC. The Gaucho bench outscored its counterpart 69-19.

"They're the defending state champs and they played exceptionally well," said SBCC coach Morris Hodges. "They're 6-8, 6-9, 6-8 up front and they attacked us inside. We were very cold from the field and it's tough to win when you shoot 19 percent."

Robert Hutchins scored eight for the Vaqueros, Cody Williams had seven points and five boards while Tejon Williams and Evan Tillman scored six apiece. Tejon Williams led in rebounds (6) and steals (4) on a night the Vaqueros were outboarded 56-40.

Santa Barbara will battle Barstow on Saturday in a 3 p.m. game at West L.A.