SCC Starts Fast and Finishes Strong in Victory over Cypress College

SCC has been looking to put together a complete game from start to finish and Tuesday Night they did just that on the road at Cypress College. They came out hot and finished even hotter. The final score was 87-61. With both teams battling for second place in conference play and potential playoff berths, the game had major implications with the victor gaining the upper hand.

The Hawks jumped out to a 10-2 lead early in the game, but the Chargers battled back and actually grabbed a 2-point lead with 9:30 to go in the half. SCC responded quickly and recaptured the lead and never looked back. With the Hawks leading by 11 points and 3 seconds to go in the first half, Damien Parker dribbled just beyond half court and connected on a deep three-pointer to send Santiago Canyon into the half with a 14-point lead by the score of 36-22.  Zach Ibbetson and Aaron Wadman led the team in scoring in the first half with 8 points apiece. Kai Smith had 7 rebounds in the half as well. 

Santiago Canyon did not let up in the second half and put on quite a shooting display as they connected on 11 out of 15 three point attempts. They surged to a 35-point lead at the 9:14 mark of the 2nd half. The Hawks made 27 field goals on the night and assisted on 22 of them. They finished the night making 19 out of 38 three-pointers. Ibbetson led the way in scoring with 21 points. Wadman had 16, and Smith contributed 10 points to round out the double digit scorers. Harrison Wiese and Isaiah Arthurton both scored 9 points. Wiese and Smith had a team high 8 rebounds apiece. Joey Longo sparked the team once again with his all around hustle and timely rebounding. 

Santiago Canyon College wraps up the regular season and conference play at Orange Coast College on Thursday, February 16. Tip-off is set for 7pm. Both teams have an identical 17-10 record and 9-6 conference record. The winner will finish in second place in the Orange Empire Conference. State Playoff brackets will be announced on Sunday, February 19. With tonight's win, the Hawks are looking like a solid bet to make the playoffs for the 5th consecutive season.