SBCC gave No. 6 Foothill all it could handle on Saturday night before dropping a 67-59 decision in the semifinals of the 16-team Gilchrist Invitational women’s basketball tournament at Sequoias.
The game, scheduled for 8 p.m. in Visalia, was delayed 45 minutes due to a power outage and didn’t finish until 10:30 p.m.
Sophomore Sara Crane had 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for the Vaqueros (7-2) before fouling out with 5:10 to play. Michelle Herrera and Jessica Valadez each added 11 points with Valadez knocking down 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Keia Nobles had 10 points and nine rebounds and Taylor DeSilva grabbed a season-high eight boards. Brooke Amenta, SBCC’s top scorer, played with the flu and finished with five points, five rebounds and four assists.
The game was tied 30-30 at halftime and remained close until the final two minutes when SBCC committed two costly turnovers. Foothill (7-2) hit 10 of 15 free throws in the second half compared to 3-4 for the Vaqueros.
“What a great game and a great effort by our players,” said coach Sandrine Krul. “We made two turnovers late and that’s uncharacteristic of our team. We also had a tough time from the free-throw line.”
The Vaqueros committed 30 turnovers and made just 55 percent (11-20) of their free throws.
SBCC will take on No. 3 Fresno City in the third-place game on Sunday at 2 p.m. The 16-team tourney features five of the top seven ranked teams in the state, including No. 1 Mt. San Antonio which beat Fresno to reach the championship against Foothill.
