Scott Burrows tallied a season-high 20 points Saturday night and SBCC gave Cuesta all it could handle before dropping a 73-66 WSC North men’s basketball game at the Sports Pavilion.
Burrows drained 7-11 from the field, including 4-7 from 3-point range, for the Vaqueros (3-17, 0-5). Calen Coleman topped the Cougars (16-7, 4-1) with 21 points.
The Vaqueros shaved the deficit to three, 69-66, on an 8-foot baseline jumper by JP Dodson with 48.8 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Dodson was called for a foul 35 feet from the basket and Jeremy Langenbergue made both free throws to extend the lead to five points.
“I thought that was highly suspect,” said coach Morris Hodges of the foul call. “Their kid wasn’t put at any disadvantage. He was near midcourt, dribbling away from the basket.
“It was a one-possession game with a 15-second differential on the shot clock.”
Eric Becker and Robert Cid added 11 points apiece for Santa Barbara, which trailed by 11 late in the first half. Alex DiManno had a game-high seven assists.
The Vaqueros erased a 31-27 halftime deficit by opening the second half with a 19-10 run to go ahead 46-41. The outburst was capped by a Burrows’ triple and a driving layup by Michael Hansen.
“We ran our offense well and I got some good looks,” said Burrows, a 6-4 sophomore from Santa Ynez High. “We showed a lot of energy, especially at the start of the second half.
“It’s been frustrating because I know our guys are capable of getting it done. We’re so close that I know we’re going to put it all together soon and turn it around.”
Cuesta regained control with a 12-0 streak for a 53-46 lead with 9:10 to play. The Vaqueros got within three (61-58) on a 3-point play by Burrows with five minutes to go, then fell behind by eight at 67-59.
Becker stole the ball and Hansen ignited a 7-2 run with a 3-pointer at the 2:50 mark. Cuesta won the shooting battle 50 to 44.4 percent and led in rebounds 36-25. The Cougars grabbed eight of their 10 offensive boards in the second half.
The Vaqueros travel to Woodland Hills on Wednesday to take on L.A. Pierce.
