Ivette Gil pumped in 26 points and freshman Amber Melgoza scored on an offensive rebound with 10 seconds remaining to lift Santa Barbara to a wild 71-70 Channel League girls basketball victory at Buena on Tuesday night.
After Melgoza put the Dons ahead by one, Buena missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
Santa Barbara evens its league record at 1-1 and improves to 13-5 overall.
The Dons had their way against the Bulldogs early in the game, roaring out to a 30-12 lead in the second quarter. But foul trouble and erratic play enabled Buena to get back in the game.
The Bulldogs cut the Santa Barbara lead to five points by halftime, tied the score after three quarters and took a three-point lead late in the game.
The Dons stormed back on a 3-point play by Gil and then hit their next six free-throw attempts to stay within a point of Buena. They forced a turnover and Melgoza scored after a missed shot to make it 71-70. It was her team-high ninth rebound of the game.
Melissa Lemus scored 14 points and had four assists, Dessy Coleman had 13 points and six assists and freshman Jada Howard contributed 10 points and five rebounds for Santa Barbara.
The Dons play host to San Marcos on Thursday.
