Bobcats pick up first win

The Saddleback men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 64-56 victory over San Diego Miramar College on Friday at the Ventura College Tournament.  The Bobcats will play Antelope Valley College on Saturday.

Saddleback was looking to bounce back from a frustrating loss on Thursday in the season-opener when they let a 14-point lead slip away in a loss to West Los Angeles College.  The Bobcats closed the door on Friday with a win over San Diego Miramar. 

Saddleback led 28-26 at the intermission on the strength of Jackson Gray's eight points in the half.  The Bobcats led by as many as eight in the opening frame before the Jets whittled the lead down to two.

Saddleback came out cold in the second half, allowing Miramar to score the first eight points of the half.  The Bobcats bounced back with nine straight points to grab a 37-34 advantage after Gray fed Lesly Keenan Joseph for an easy layup. 

Saddleback led 45-43 midway through the second half when the defense took over the game.  The Bobcats held the Jets scoreless for 4:54 while building the lead to 53-43.  Saddleback's lead grew to 59-45 when T.J. Tittelfitz buried a three-pointer from the corner with 3:34 remaining on the clock.

The second half also belonged to Gray.  The sophomore from Capistrano Valley High School made a trio of three-pointers over the final 20 minutes while scoring 11 points in the second half.  He finished with a team-high 19 points in the game.

Saddleback is now 1-1 to start the season.  The Bobcats will play Antelope Valley College on Saturday at 12:00 PM.