Cats take down #10 Dons

The Saddleback men's basketball team took a large step towards qualifying for the 3C2A Southern California Regional Tournament with an 84-78 victory over Santa Ana College on Tuesday night inside the gymnasium.  The Bobcats are a game above .500 with three games remaining on the schedule.

Saddleback is trying to make a late push for the playoffs.  The Bobcats had a huge obstacle in front of them on Tuesday night in Santa Ana, a team that was 19-5 entering the contest and ranked No. 10 in the state in the latest California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA) Poll. 

Saddleback looked determined from the outset, jumping out to a double-digit lead at the end of the first half.  Mark Reichner was hot from the outside, scoring 11 points in the opening half as the Bobcats made 6-of-17 shots from the outside.

Santa Ana chipped away at the lead in the second half as Saddleback started slowly.  The Bobcats scored just two points over the first two minutes while Santa Ana cut the Bobcats lead to four.  The teams would play fairly even for the next five minutes, with the lead waffling between 4-7 points. 

Saddleback finally extended the lead to nine when Reichner buried a three-pointer with 14:27 remaining for a 52-43 advantage.  It was the beginning of a sensational display of outside shooting from Reichner, who went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the second half to lead the charge. 

On the very next possession Jacob Simon buried a three-pointer and the Saddleback lead grew to 55-43, equaling its biggest lead of the game.  It prompted Santa Ana to call a timeout in an attempt to stop the wave of momentum.

Santa Ana's timeout worked as the Dons scored eight of the next nine points in drawing within 56-51 with 11:48 remaining on the clock.  Reichner again responded with a shot from long range and the lead was back to eight.

On the next possession, Tyler Peterson buried a three-pointer for Santa Ana and the lead again dropped back down to five.  Reichner again had a response, nailing another three-pointer with 9:36 remaining.

Santa Ana then made a consistent run, chipping away at the lead and eventually tying the game at 66-66 when Aaron De Santiago hit a couple of free throws to even the score.  It was the last time the Dons would be even as Saddleback's Jaden Rahmaan joined the party and nailed two three-pointers to give Saddleback a 75-70 lead with just over four minutes remaining.  Reichner then added yet another from long range on the following possession as the lead grew back to six.

Santa Ana got back to within two points in the final minute before putting Saddleback at the free throw line in an attempt to steal the game.  The Bobcats didn't flinch in making four straight free throws down the stretch, with Rahmaan and Charlie Stallings each making a pair to put the game on ice. 

Reichner finished with a game-high 24 points, making 7-of-10 shots from beyond the arc.  Rahmaan had his biggest game of the season, scoring 15 points while collecting six rebounds and five assists.  Stallings finished with a double-double, scoring 12 while collecting 11 rebounds.

Saddleback is now 13-12 overall and 4-7 in Orange Empire Conference play with three games remaining.  The Bobcats are currently tied for sixth place with Irvine Valley, one game back of both Santa Ana and Cypress.

Saddleback will play at Cypress on Thursday at 5:00 PM.