Santa Barbara High secured second place in the Channel League, holding on to win at Buena, 60-58, on Monday night.
Amber Melgoza scored 25 points and Dezzy Coleman added 20 as the Division 3AA top-ranked Dons recovered down the stretch after letting a 15-point lead get away.
“In the last 3 1/2 minutes, we settled down,” Santa Barbara coach Andrew Butcher said. “They made three 3-pointers in the last minute, which made it more exciting than we would have liked.”
The win improves Santa Barbara’s records to 20-5 overall and 5-2 in league. It was the Dons’ fifth straight win over Buena over the last two seasons.
Jocelin Petatan added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Melgoza had four assists and Coleman had six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Her scoring provided a huge boost.
“It was a rough and tumble game, and she was big today,” Butcher said of Coleman. “She had to score.”
