SBCC opened 2009 the same way it finished 2008 — with a men’s basketball upset over a ranked team.
Sophomore guard Mark Keeten scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half Saturday night, leading the Vaqueros to a 75-63 triumph over Reedley (13-4), ranked 13th in the state. It was the third straight win for Santa Barbara, which completed its nonconference schedule with an 8-12 record.
David Lane tallied 13 of his 19 points after halftime, when the Vaqueros outscored the visitors 50-36. Brandon Greene added 13 while Richard Somdah had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Last Tuesday, the Vaqueros downed Butte, ranked 12th in Northern Cal, by an 80-69 count, one day after they knocked off seventh-rated Cuesta.
“We didn’t play that well tonight and struggled through some things,” said coach Morris Hodges. “We didn’t rebound the ball well on the defensive end and we weren’t that great finishing on offense. The good thing is they’re a good team and we found a way to win.
“Considering how poorly we played, we were encouraged to only be down a couple (27-25) at halftime.”
SBCC trailed for most of the first half before taking the lead for good at 31-29 on a 3-pointer by Greene. That ignited a 14-4 run that put the Vaqueros up 42-33 with 12:22 to play.
“We were able to speed the tempo up (with our press) and force some turnovers,” said Hodges.
Reedley, located 20 miles from Fresno, got within six at 58-52 but SBCC hit 11-of-13 free throws over the final 3:15 to secure the win. The Vaqueros made 23-of-31 free throws in the second half, led by Keeten (8-8) and Lane (8-9).
SBCC opens WSC North play on Wednesday with a home date against Oxnard at 5 p.m.
“You want to be playing your best going into league,” said Hodges. “I told these guys it’s a second season and everybody starts off 0-0, so you have to bring it every night.”
