Amber Melgoza was knocking down shots from everywhere, Dezzy Coleman was scoring on breakout layups, and the Santa Barbara High girls basketball ball was happy to be playing again.
In their first action in 17 days, and their first game as the No. 1-ranked team in their CIF division, the Dons raced out to a 19-7 first quarter lead and rolled to a 64-36 victory over Dos Pueblos in a Channel League opener Tuesday night at JR Richards Gym.
Melgoza poured in 25 points on a variety of shots and Coleman got Santa Barbara going by scoring 12 of her 16 points in the first quarter. Most her points came on transition layups as the Dons continually beat DP down court after grabbing defensive rebounds.
In the second quarter, Coleman hit a jumper, Melgoza followed with a 3-pointer and then beat two DP defenders for a 2-point basket to build Santa Barbara’s lead to 36-12.
“They bring out the worst in us,” said DP coach Phil Sherman. “We’re better than how we looked against them. I was asking, ‘Why do they always bring out the worst in us?‘ It’s not like they fatigue us. We got to do better.”
Emi Park scored 11 points for the Chargers (9-4, 0-1) and Brandy Jimenez had five.
It was Santa Barbara’s second win over DP this season. The Dons, 15-2 and ranked No. 1 in the 3AA Division, won 63-38 at the Lompoc Tournament back on Dec. 7.
“We got some rules when we play them” Sherman noted. “We know they get lots of steals and lots of lay-ins. We know they’re a transition team, so you can’t take quick shots. We came in with a plan: we’re not going to take quick shots, we’re not going to make desperation fouls and foul them every time they steal the ball and we’re going to transition back on defense. Those are the Santa Barbara rules.
“We broke the rules,” he continued. “We didn’t stay disciplined in our scheme and they made us pay in the first half.”
Santa Barbara coach Andrew Butcher said there was some concern his team might be rusty after the long layoff. If there was any rust, it didn’t show.
“Maybe our best game of the year was against DP the last time we played them, so the kids had a little confidence. And we were worried maybe too much confidence,” he said. “(The Chargers) are a scrappy group.”
With its running game in high gear, the Dons shot a good percentage from the floor.
“We shot 54 percent and that’s good,” said Butcher. “Our transition was good, which got us some easy shots, but our rebounding suffered. And, against the zone we forced quite a few passes for turnovers. There are always things to improve, but it’s exciting to win a league game against a crosstown opponent.”
The Dons hit the road for their next league game, playing at defending champion Ventura on Thursday. The Cougars (13-2) ranked second in the 1-A Division.
