SBCC rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to tie in regulation on Saturday morning, then beat Sequoias 61-55 in overtime in a women’s basketball consolation semifinal in the Sequoias Invitational at Visalia.
Jennifer Jimenez scored all 12 of her points in the first half when the Vaqueros (5-3) fell behind 29-21. Mercedes Gonzalez had a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) while Sara Crane contributed 10 points, five assists and three steals.
Leslie Steele had nine points and Jaz Johnson added six points, seven assists and five boards.
Santa Barbara pulled even at the 12-minute mark and forced overtime when Katie Grande nailed two free throws to make it 51-all with 50 seconds left.
Steele took a pass from Jimenez and canned a 3-pointer to open overtime, igniting a 10-4 Vaquero run in the five-minute extra session. Gonzalez had a steal and basket in the overtime and Crane made a steal that led to a 3-point play.
SBCC won the battle of the boards (38-34) and forced 28 turnovers. The Vaqueros were solid from the free-throw line, making 7-8 in the second half and OT.
“This is a young team and we’re starting to win close games,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “We played until close to 9 p.m. (on Friday), then came back at 10 this morning and gave a great effort.”
SBCC can claim the consolation championship of the 16-team tourney by beating L.A. Valley on Sunday at 10 a.m.
