JP Dodson scored a season-high 22 points on Saturday night but Oxnard rallied past SBCC 90-89 in overtime, spoiling the Vaqueros’ WSC North men’s basketball debut at the Sports Pavilion.
The Vaqueros (3-13, 0-1) shot 60.6 percent in the opening half and scored the last seven points to take a 51-44 lead. There were 11 ties and 14 lead changes in the first half.
“I was ready to play from the beginning,“ said Dodson, a freshman guard from San Marcos High who tallied 16 in the first half. “I got some quick points that gave me some confidence.
“It was our best offensive game of the year. We lost this game because of the boards.”
Oxnard (8-8, 1-1) enjoyed a 59-32 advantage in rebounds, including 28-7 at the offensive end. Stephan Thompson paced the Condors with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Burrows finished with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Vaqueros. He was 4-for-8 from 3-point country. Jalani Davis added 13 points on 6-7 shooting.
Santa Barbara took its biggest lead at 59-48 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Scott Burrows early in the second half.
The visitors went on a 19-7 run and took a 67-66 lead on a tip-in by Gary Johnson with 10:20 to play. SBCC regained a three-point lead at 74-71 on six straight points by Dodson.
SBCC went up 84-82 when Davis banked in a 3-pointer from the left side with 1:35 to play. Moises Barrera sent it into overtime by banking in a 12-footer with 46 seconds remaining.
Oxnard grabbed a four-point lead in the five-minute extra session before Alex DiManno (8 points, 4 assists) hit a triple at the top of the key. Davis nailed a jumper with 1:20 to play, pulling the Vaqueros within a point at 90-89.
Santa Barbara had one final chance, calling timeout with 8.1 seconds left. They ran a play for Burrows on the right baseline but he missed an open 3-point try.
“We played extremely well, we were doing all the things we wanted to do,” said SBCC coach Morris Hodges. “The difference in the game was our inability to rebound. They got back in the game with a flurry of offensive rebounds.
“We got good bench play (their reserves outscored Oxnard 31-13) and were hoping our depth would be an advantage. There were a lot of positives.
“If we can continue to play consistently at that level — and rebound the basketball — things will look better.”
The Vaqueros travel to Ventura on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest.
