Santa Barbara High’s Bolden Brace and Righetti’s Cameron Walker put on a good show for the fans at J.R. Richards Gym on Saturday. But it was the play of Ben Clay and Nick Busch that proved to be the difference for the Dons basketball team in a 69-59 non-league victory.
Busch, in his second game since becoming eligible, scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Clay rebounded from a tough outing against Oaks Christian with a 16-point, 15-rebound performance.
“He just took over the paint,” Santa Barbara coach David Bregante said of Clay, who had six offensive boards and made 6 of 7 shots. “He’s been saying that’s his house, and tonight it was his house. He owned it and did a nice job.”
Busch found his shooting touch early, helping the Dons to a 24-10 first-quarter lead.
“He’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Bregante said of the 6-6 transfer from Bishop Diego. “He has the potential to be a very good player. He’s very athletic, he’s quick and he can shoot the ball. He’s going to help us.”
Busch made 6 of 9 two-point shots and was 1-3 on 3-pointers.
It was Busch and Clay that got Santa Barbara rolling in the first quarter. The pair accounted for all the scoring during 9-0 run that opened up a 20-9 advantage. Clay hit two free throws and scored on an offensive rebound. Busch buried a 3-pointer and finished a nice pass from Brace.
“My teammates got me open a lot and got me some good shots,” Busch said. “That always helps.”
Clay came in with the mindset that he was going to control the paint against Righetti’s big front line.
“Today I came in ready to play,” he said. “I knew I was going to dominate the paint and I came in with that mentality.”
Brace led the way for Santa Barbara (16-3) with 25 points, while Walker topped all scorers with 27 points, including a couple of dunks. They guarded each other and knocked down shots in each other’s face.
“That was worth the price of admission right there,” said Bregante.
Righetti coach Kevin Barbarick agreed that it was a great matchup.
“They’re two really good players, and I thought they showed really well tonight,” he said
Bregante praised the defensive work of Brace against the 6-7 Stanford-bound Walker.
“They got a top 100 player and there’s a reason why he’s a top 100 player. I thought Bolden did a fantastic job on him. It was by far his best defensive effort of his career,” he said.
Righetti (12-3) regrouped after its slow start and went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to pull to 26-19. The Warriors missed an opportunity to cut it to five when a lob pass for Walker sailed too high.
After Santa Barbara called a time out, the Dons responded with a 8-0 run of their own. Busch started it with a 14-foot jumper and then Brace took over. He buried a parking-lot 3-pointer and then stole the ball and went in for a dunk. He finished the run with a free throw, giving Santa Barbara a 35-22 lead.
In the third period, Busch sank a jumper and scored off an assist from Clay, and Chris Wagonhurst hit a 3-pointer to expand the lead to 42-24.
Three-pointers by Walker, Aaron Laflin and Justin Garcia helped the Warriors get as close as eight points, 60-52, with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter.
Barbarick said he was pleased how his team battled back in the second half of its fourth game of the week, including a game on Friday night.
“I think it was our energy level,” he said of the slow start. “That was the biggest reason. We were kind of dead on our feet. We did great job of coming back, we did a great job of battling. It was a great game for us to come and play on the road. We kind of fought through some adversity, so I was really proud of the second half. The first quarter was a tough quarter for us. It was just too much to overcome.”
Santa Barbara fought off Righetti’s late surge. Brace scored on a spectacular play, grabbing a Max Henderson lob with one hand high above the rim and putting it in the basket. Brace later hit four free throws sandwiched around a Busch basket to secure the win.
It was the second straight win against a quality opponent for the Dons, who open Channel League play on Wednesday at San Marcos.
“We’re starting to play well at the right time,” said Bregante
