Cypress knocked down 63 percent of its second-half shots to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit and edge SBCC 76-71 in the opening round of the 40th annual SBCC Classic.
The Vaqueros (2-5) made only 31.1 percent of their second-half shots and finished at 35.5 percent. Cypress (2-5) shot 45.2 percent for the game.
Santa Barbara closed the first half on a 15-6 run and took a 39-31 halftime advantage when Samuel Kelley made a reverse layup at the buzzer. The Chargers opened the second half with a 17-6 burst and grabbed a 48-45 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Davon Potts 14:32 to play.
Potts, a 6-2 sophomore, scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the second half. Montel Taylor added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Chargers and 6-7 Daveon Thomas had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Pablo Miranda led SBCC with 13 points and five steals. Jalani Davis scored 13 with eight rebounds. Michael Hansen and Anthony Petrilli added 10 apiece. Michael Failla had nine points, five boards and four assists.
“Our defense was very poor to start the second half,” said coach Morris Hodges. “We were kind of complacent. Our shot selection wasn’t good and we didn’t move the ball well in the second half.
“A lot of our shots were tough shots when we were off-balance or facing two defenders. It‘s easy to defend one pass. You have to make them defend the second and third passes and get them moving.”
Cypress led 57-51 with 10 minutes to play. The Vaqueros got within two (63-61) on consecutive triples by Miranda and Petrilli with 6:16 to play.
When Davis converted a short left-handed shot with 2:10 to go, the Vaqueros pulled within three at 70-67. SBCC missed a tough layup and Cypress missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
The Vaqueros were called for a key backcourt violation at the 1:08 mark and Potts hit a 10-foot floater on the baseline to extend the Charger lead to five. Taylor nailed two free throws, stretching it to seven with 30.1 seconds left.
In other first-round games, Hancock routed Victor Valley 98-54, Pasadena outlasted L.A. Valley 92-80 and No. 4 Mt. San Antonio (9-1) won its eighth straight by beating Bakersfield 76-64.
Demetrius Thomas led Hancock with 19 points, seven steals and five rebounds. Mike Swanegan of Pasadena hit 6-8 from 3-point range and was the high scorer for the day with 35 points.
SBCC will meet Victor Valley in the consolation semifinals at 5 p.m. on Friday, following the 3 p.m. opener between L.A. Valley and Bakersfield.
The championship semifinals will pit Hancock vs. Cypress at 7 p.m. and Mt. SAC against Pasadena at 9 p.m.
