SCC Stings Fullerton with 85-72 Victory

Santiago Canyon was looking to avenge an earlier loss to Fullerton as two of the top teams in the state faced each other again in a rematch of their first round game. SCC had their way in the rematch and came away with an 85-72 victory.  The Hawks are now 21-5 on the season and 11-4 in conference play.  SCC came ready to play, jumped out to a 6-point lead, and led by 8 points at the 9:53 mark of the first half.  However, Fullerton buckled down on defense and went on a run of their own to cut into the lead and pull ahead at the half by the score of 32-28.  It was a defensive battle in the half as both teams struggled to score.  Each team shot an identical 3 for 12 from the three-point line and shot under 40% overall from the field. Freshman guard Erik Howlin led SCC in scoring with 10 points.  David Agba contributed 7 points and 6 rebounds in the half. 

The second half was the complete opposite for the Hawks as they caught fire from the field and surged to a 19-point lead with 12:33 to go in the game.  It was a combination of strong, pressure defense and lights out shooting that led to the lead for SCC. Fullerton cut into the lead, but could never get in striking distance for a comeback as the Hawks scored the 85-72 victory.  Agba and Howlin were terrific all night and both finished with 27 points. Agba also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 3 steals in an overall impressive performance.  Not to be out-done, Howlin put on a scoring clinic as he finished 9 for 12 from the field, including 5 for 7 from distance. He also chipped in with 5 rebounds. Drew Yezbak continued his solid point guard play as he scored 13 points including three from deep. Preston Sims scored 9 points in the second half and grabbed 5 rebounds. Santiago Canyon finished the night shooting 51.8% from the field while holding Fullerton to 36.9%.

SCC will be back in action on Friday in their final regular season game as they host Orange Coast College.  Tip-off is set for 4pm as the Hawks will look to secure their 22nd victory of the season.