The Santa Barbara High boys basketball team led by four points at the half in its opening CIF Division 3AAA playoff game against West Torrance, but could not hold on to the lead and lost 69-61.
The Dons finished second in the Channel League and traveled to play West Torrance, the second-seeded team from the Bay League.
Santa Barbara kept the game close throughout with a balanced scoring effort. Sam Cohen led the team with 13 points, followed by Emilio Gonzalez with ten. Brendan Fay, Andy Busch and Matt Wagonhurst all put up nine points.
The Dons took a 40-36 lead into the locker room at halftime, but West Torrance upped the tempo in the third quarter and earned several easy layups on fast breaks and take control of the game.
Santa Barbara climbed back in the fourth and cut the host team’s lead to two with four minutes remaining in the game, but West Torrance hit two consecutive three-pointers on its next possessions to seal a victory.
The Don finished the season with an overall record of 13-12, giving them ten more victories than in the past two seasons combined.
“We’re really happy with the season and were really happy with the seniors,” assistant coach Andrew Gil said.
