There will be a new champion at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.
Sierra Canyon came out strong in the second half and took down defending champion and top-seeded Orange Lutheran 44-35, in one semifinal game Friday night at J.R. Richards Gym.
In the other semifinal, Redondo used a balanced scoring attack and tough interior defense to defeat second-seeded Ventura, 54-46.
Sierra Canyon and Redondo will square off for the championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Host Santa Barbara will play for the consolation title after pulling away from Channel League rival Buena, 64-51 on Friday at San Marcos. Amber Melgoza almost recorded a triple-double. She scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had eight assists. Dezzy Coleman played a solid game, scoring 16 points and dishing off six assists. Jada Howard added 11 points and Jocelin Petatan chipped eight 10 points.
The game was close until the fourth quarter when the Dons built a 16-point lead behind their transition game and offensive rebounding.
Santa Barbara will play Rio Mesa for the consolation title at 12:30 p.m. Rio Mesa beat Oak Park, 37-32.
In the semifinals, Ventura pulled to within five points (40-35) of Redondo after a basket by Marki Meyer. But the Seahawks responded with two huge plays. Kourtney Noa picked up a loose ball after a blocked shot and nailed a 3-pointer. Micaela Enriquez and Tori Lee followed with a perfectly executed pick and roll, with Lee scoring on a layup for a 45-35 lead with 4:27 to play.
Enriquez hit a 3-pointer and Lee scored on a layup after a steal by Noa to seal the victory for Redondo.
Enriquez scored 11 points and Nao Shiota added 10 points to lead Redondo. Meyer dropped in 20 points for Ventura, which was playing without head coach Anne Larson, who was out of town for a family function.
Sierra Canyon wore down Orange Lutheran in the second half with its pressing defenses. The Trailblazers outscored the Lancers 17-7 in the third quarter to take a 36-27 lead. Cheyanne Wallace scored nine points in the quarter. Kennedy Burke led Sierra Canyon with 12 points. Jessica Nowicki scored 13 points for Orange Lutheran.
