SBCC will take on Cypress on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the 40th annual SBCC Classic, one of the longest-running Community College men’s basketball tournaments in the state.
It will be the home debut for the Vaqueros (2-4). Cypress (1-5) lost to San Diego City 116-113 in triple overtime in its opener on Nov. 16 and is averaging 81.2 points.
“Our first six games have been a bit of a roller coaster,” said point guard Robert Cid, a sophomore from Dos Pueblos High. “We’ve lost a few games that have been 2-3 possession games that we should have won. If we can just make a few tweaks on defense, we’ll win those close games and get over the hump.”
In other first-round games, Hancock meets Victor Valley in the 3 p.m. opener, Pasadena plays L.A. Valley at 5 p.m. and Mt. San Antonio battles Bakersfield at 9 p.m.
Mt. SAC is ranked No. 4 in the state with an 8-1 record. Hancock (6-2) is No. 10 in Southern Cal.
Freshmen guards Rico Failla and Pablo Miranda recorded season highs with 15 and 14 points, respectively, in SBCC’s last game, an 87-74 loss at Bakersfield last Saturday.
Mike Hansen, a 6-4 sophomore, has averaged 16.7 in his last three games. He missed the Bakersfield contest with an injury but is expected to play on Thursday.
“We weren’t shooting well early in the year, then we got up to 44 and 50 percent,” noted coach Morris Hodges. “Our main problem right now is we have to do a better job of blocking out (on rebounds). We’ve been giving up too many second-shot opportunities.”
