Amber Melgoza and the Santa Barbara High girls basketball team opened the season with a bang on Thursday at the Bryan Ayer Classic in Lompoc.
Melgoza poured in 38 points and Santa Barbara’s full-court pressure defense forced Santa Maria into several turnovers, as the Dons rolled to a 71-27 win.
Melgoza scored 24 of her points in the first half as the Dons built a 48-20 lead.
Jada Howard had 11 points and Jocelin Petatan added 10 for Santa Barbara, which plays Cabrillo on Friday.
The Dons won their first CiF-SS division title last year and were state runners-up
