Houston propels Vaqueros past Rio Hondo, 63-59

Courtney Houston put SBCC ahead to stay with a baseline jumper with 1:58 to play on Saturday night, then took a charge on defense that helped the Vaqueros hold off Rio Hondo, 63-59, in their final nonconference women's basketball game.

Mhiah Vickers had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Vaqueros (8-6). Houston, a 5-4 sophomore guard from Bishop Diego High, scored a season-high 11 points in 15 minutes, thanks to 4-of-5 shooting.

After trailing 30-29 at halftime, the Vaqueros went on a 13-5 run to take their biggest lead at 50-43 with 7:45 to play. The Roadrunners (7-10) came right back with a 9-2 streak and tied it at 52 on a layup by Megan McCullough.

Vickers hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key but Rio Hondo quickly regained the lead with a field goal and two free throws. That's when Houston tossed in a 10-foot shot from the left baseline to put the Vaqueros up 57-56.

"We go through that all the time in practice, so we weren't nervous," said Houston. "Coach prepares us well. We all feed off each other and we know someone's going to make it work."

Elia Salazar added nine points and six rebounds, including five offensive. Jasmine Mata and Andrea Morales had six points apiece for the Vaqueros, who used all 15 players with several complete substitutions of five players at a time.

"Ever since the Antelope Valley Tournament, we switched up our strategy from offense to defense," said coach Sandrine Krul. "The team has really responded. I'm subbing in five at a time and it's been working well. They trust me, so I need to trust them."

Houston hit a 3-pointer for the Vaqueros' first basket of the game and canned a 14-foot baseline shot to open the second half.

SBCC had been struggling from the free-throw line, entering the game with a 59-percent average. The Vaqueros made 17-of-23 in the second half and 74.3 percent for the game (26-35). They hit 5-6 in the last 15 seconds, including a pair by Andrea Morales and Mata that gave them a six-point lead with 6.6 seconds left.

"The players are starting to believe in our system," Krul added. "We play everyone and they can all contribute at any time. We worked hard for this win."

SBCC is off until Saturday, Jan. 11 when it opens WSC North play by hosting Canyons in a 5 p.m. contest.