SCC Falls in Semi-Finals

Santiago Canyon College earned the 5th seed in the Southern California Regional State Playoffs, which earned them a first round bye and a matchup with the winner of the Mira Costa and Cerro Coso game.  In that game, Mira Costa upended Cerro Coso and earned the opportunity to play at SCC on Thursday Night.  Mira Costa continued their playoff run with an 84-74 victory over the Hawks ending the season for SCC.  The first half was a back and forth contest as neither team could separate themselves from the other.  The Hawks' freshman sensation, Erik Howlin, got fouled on a three-point attempt as the first half buzzer sounded.  He nailed all three free throws to put the Hawks in the lead by the score of 41-38. Howlin carried the team in the first half with 20 points on 6 for 12 shooting including 2 three-pointers. SCC shot 40.6% from the floor in the half, while Mira Costa shot 53.3%.

Mira Costa continued their hot shooting in the second half as they outscored the Hawks 46-33 in the half.  SCC's second half started strong and they were able to build a 10-point lead, but the Spartans answered back quickly and went on a run to regain the lead. Down the stretch, Mira Costa was able to hold on to the single digit lead and made free throws to secure the win.  Leading the way in scoring was Howlin with 26 points, David Agba with 17 points, and Drew Yezbak with 15 points. Agba also had a game-high 13 rebounds. The Hawks ended the game shooting 36.4% from the field and only 28.6% from three-point line.

Santiago Canyon's season ends with a 22-6 overall record, while finishing third in the Orange Empire Conference.  They finished as the state's 7th ranked scoring team averaging 87.8 points per game. They also were the state's 6th best 3-point shooting team connecting on 288 three-pointers. This is their 4th consecutive season of winning 20 or more games.  In their 4 full seasons of competition since the program started, Santiago Canyon has won 92 games, averaging 23 wins per season. With a solid group of freshmen returning, the Hawks will look to build upon the program's success in the 2022-23 season.