Freshman Amber Melgoza stole the ball with 10 seconds remaining in overtime and Ivette Gil knocked down two free throws with 1.3 seconds to go, securing a 64-60 Santa Barbara High win over Pioneer Valley in the Dons’ first of two games Friday at the Righetti girls basketball tournament.
In their second game, the Dons beat Righetti, 66-45. They’ll face Paso Robles on Saturday at 4 p.m. for the tournament title.
Gil scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Dessy Coleman scored 22 points and had five steals in the overtime win over Pioneer Valley. Melissa Lemus added 10 points and five assists.
The Dons (11-4) didn’t take the lead in the game until there was just over a minute to play in regulation. Pioneer Valley tied the score at 60-60 to send the game into overtime.
Against Righetti, Lemus had a big game, scoring 26 points, with six assists and six steals. Coleman had 19 points and Gil tallied nine points with nine rebounds and six steals.
Saralisa Ortega contributed seven rebounds and played strong defense, said Santa Barbara coach Andrew Butcher.
