Santa Barbara High showed no signs of a league title hangover in the first half against Ventura on Wednesday night as it roared to a 50-29 advantage.
The Dons, the top-ranked team in Divsion 3A, got a little sloppy in the second half but managed to take care of business and stay unbeaten in league with an 80-67 Channel League basketball win at JR Richards Gym.
“Out of the gates, we came out hot, built a nice cushion and pushed the lead to 21 points at the half,” said Santa Barbara assistant Andy Gil. “In the third quarter we tried to force too much and let Ventura develop a rhythm. We turned the the ball over too much and allowed them to get transition buckets and didn’t get a hand up on the three.”
The shooting of Isaiah Tapia, Chris Wagonhurst and Bolden Brace helped the Dons maintain the upper hand. Tapia finished with 23 points to lead all scorers. He shot 5 of 7 from the 3-point line. Wagonhurst made 4 of 5 two-point shots and was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers for 17 points. Brace added 13 points and Noah Burke had 11 points.
Santa Barbara made 13 of 25 treys for 52 percent.
“Ventura is the best last-place team the Channel League has seen in a long time,” Gil said. “They always play us tough and are well coached. They never stop battling, and are very athletic.”
Santa Barbara improves to 20-2 and 10-0 in league play.
