Cats beat West LA in OT

The Saddleback men's basketball team had its biggest win of the season on Friday with an 85-83 win in overtime against West Los Angeles College at the Fullerton College Tournament.  The Bobcats will play San Diego City College on Saturday.

Saddleback entered ranked No. 19 in the latest California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA) Poll while West Los Angeles entered at No. 8 in the state with only one loss on the season.  In addition, the Bobcats had lost to the Wildcats by 10 points in the second game of the season at the Ventura Tournament.

Saddleback turned the tables on West Los Angeles, hanging with one of the better teams in the state and striking late to get the biggest win of the season.  Saddleback never trailed in the overtime as Charlie Stallings made a layup on the opening possession and the Bobcats opened up a five-point lead with just over a minute remaining to outlast the Wildcats.

Mark Reichner had his biggest game of the season, scoring a game-high 26 points.  Reichner (pictured) was 5-of-8 from three-point range while also collecting a game-high 11 rebounds in the win.  He was particularly hot in the second half when he scored 17 points while making 5-of-6 shots from long range. 

Joining Reichner in double-digits were Charlie Stallings and Christopher Williams, who had 17 and 16 points respectively.  Williams also had a game-high five assists in the game.

Saddleback is now 7-4 overall and jumped up to No. 16 in the state in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) with the win.  The Bobcats will face San Diego City on Saturday, a team ranked No. 9 in the RPI and No. 11 in the CCCMBCA Poll.

Saddleback and San Diego City are scheduled to start at 3:00 PM at Fullerton College.