Banged-up Pirates fall to Bobcats, 81-67
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback (11-7, 4-2) | 36 | 45 | 81 |
|
Orange Coast (9-8, 3-2) | 27 | 40 | 67 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball did the best they could with a shorthanded lineup, but in the end, the visiting Saddleback College Bobcats had enough to pull away to an 81-67 Orange Empire Conference win on Friday night inside the Peterson Gym.
Playing without leading scorer, Sam Hunter, the Pirates (9-8, 3-2 in the OEC) saw its offensive production trimmed again in the opening minute of play when Cody Aquino went down and missed most of the first half. In spite of the key missing pieces, the Pirates hung tough and trailed 18-16 midway through the first half.
However, the Bobcats (11-7, 4-2) used an 18-0 run over the next six minutes of play and pulled out to a 36-16 advantage. But the Pirates took advantage of a lack of composure from the Bobcats and used a 11-0 run to trim the deficit to 9 at the break, 36-27.
Coast continued its comeback run early in the second half, using a 14-5 run over the opening six minutes to pull even with the Bobcats at 43. But the depth of the Bobcats proved too much as the guests used a 23-13 run over the next 10 minutes to regain the lead for good.
Keon Young led Coast with 22 points, while Isaac Padilla added 19 points and Timothy Bahadoor tossed in 13. For the Bobcats, John McFadden tossed in a game-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Charlie Stallings added 21 points and 13 boards.
Coast will return to action on Wednesday at Golden West College (3 p.m.) before returning to the Peterson Gym on Friday against Santa Ana, beginning at 5 p.m.
