MBK: Glendale keeps Vaqueros at a distance

Glendale built a 52-37 halftime lead on Wednesday on the way to a 79-59 men’s basketball victory over SBCC in the opening round of the Glendale Vaquero Classic.

Jeri Mask scored 19 points off the bench on 8-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Glendale Vaqueros (3-6). Glendale outshot SBCC 55.2 to 33.8 percent and enjoyed a 34-11 advantage in bench scoring.

Ange Michel-Kuo, a 6-8, 275-pound freshman from the Ivory Coast, added 13 points and 10 rebounds, helping Glendale to a 45-31 advantage on the boards.

The hometown Vaqueros opened the second half on a 20-8 run, stretching the lead to 27 points, 72-45, with 6:58 to play.

Freshman forward Evan Tillman led Santa Barbara (4-8) with 19 points and eight rebounds. Robert Hutchins hit 4-10 from 3-point range and scored 16 points. Tejon Williams added 11 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Glendale hit 50 percent (6-12) from 3-point land while the visiting Vaqueros made 16.7 percent (5-30).

Santa Barbara will play Orange Coast in the consolation semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. Rio Hondo edged OCC 65-61 on Wednesday night.