Hawks Outlast Bobcats in Conference Opener

A battle of top-ranked squads opened Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action on Tuesday night as the Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team hit the road to take on the Saddleback College Bobcats. A two-point advantage at the conclusion of the first half proved to be the difference maker as the Hawks flew past the Bobcats, 67-65.

The Hawks held their largest lead of the game at the 14-minute mark in the second half. Aside from that short-lived double-digit advantage, it was a tight knit contest from wire to wire. Both teams shot just under 40 percent from the floor, with the Hawks having a slight edge at a clip of 39.1 percent. They also carted a 20.8 three-point shooting percentage and forced 18 Bobcat turnovers.

The Hawks jumped out to a seven-point lead after the opening four minutes with sophomore guard Kai Smith kissing two points off the glass. Saddleback trimmed it to a five-point deficit with a three ball, but the Hawks responded on the ensuing possession compliments of a triple from sophomore guard Isaiah Arthurton.

Saddleback gained their first lead of the game just before the halfway point in the first half. They held on to the advantage for a brief five minutes until sophomore guard Dane Kieffer rose up and drilled a three pointer to hand the lead back to the Hawks at 22-20.

Longo closed out the first half by pocketing a steal and bringing the rock coast-to-coast for a layup, awarding  the Hawks a 36-34 advantage entering halftime.

Both squads traded blows in the final 20 minutes of action, but the final minute of play decided the outcome. Saddleback's Andre Speight snapped a three pointer to bring the score to 64-all with just over a minute remaining. After a Santiago Canyon timeout, Smith dropped in a layup to give the Hawks a two-point advantage.

On the ensuing possession, Saddleback chucked up a three that missed, but an offensive rebound and a foul sent them to the line. They would make only one of two shots. Saddleback then fouled Smith, who connected on one of two free throws to regain the two point lead.  The Bobcats had a chance to tie, but missed on three attempts in the scramble at the end of the game. 

The difference could have very well been at the charity stripe. The Hawks shot an impressive 85.7 percent (12-for-14), while the Bobcats shot a lowly 68 percent (17-for-25).

It was a joint effort on the offensive front as the starting five attributed much of the damage. The sophomore backcourt of Kai Smith and Damien Parker each flushed 16 points. Smith added seven rebounds, while Parker hauled in five boards and pocketed three steals.

Freshman guard Tony Colley bagged his second career double-double after dropping 11 points and hauling in an even 10 rebounds. His first came against Chaffey on November 8th when he had 20 points and 11 rebounds. 

The Hawks are back in action on Thurday as they host Riverside City College in their first home conference game. Tip-off is set for 5pm.