The Santa Barbara Breakers improved their record to 10-2 on the season by dismantling the depleted Hollywood Jammers 154-92 at San Marcos High School’s Thunderhut on Saturday.
In the previous matchup between the two teams, the Breakers prevailed 164-129 in a game that was close throughout the first half, but it was a different story this time.
According to Breakers coach Curt Pickering, several of the Jammers’ top players failed to attend the game, which set the stage for the blowout victory.
“It’s disappointing for us,” Pickering said. “We want to be challenged.”
From the opening tip the Breakers punished the smaller Jammers inside, jumping out to an early 20-7 lead and forcing Hollywood to switch to a zone defense. The Breakers adjusted by pushing the ball up the court and converting easy basket opportunities in transition.
Bad offensive possessions by the Jammers fueled the Breakers’ offense and resulted in a 41-18 score at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter Santa Barbara got a boost from reserve guard Tito Mays, who matched his career high with 16 points.
“I was new to the team and coach was kind of just feeling me out earlier in the season,” Mays said. “I have been taking advantage of the opportunities that I have been given.”
The Santa Barbara lead swelled to 76-38 at halftime.
The second half provided little intrigue as the Jammers played with the discipline of a Junior Varsity team, launching up contested three-pointers early in the shot clock on virtually every possession.
“A couple people were wondering why we called timeouts in the second half, but coach just wanted to tell us to put on a show but keep on playing good basketball,” Mays said. “We definitely don’t want to pick up any bad habits.”
The victory helped the Breakers maintain their 1 1/2 game lead over the Newport Beach Surf atop the WCBL standings. The Jammers fell to 1-10 on the season and remain in last place.
The Breakers’ next home game is against the Pasadena Slam at 7:05 p.m. Saturday June 6 in the San Marcos High School gym.
