Cats advance
The Bobcats to play at San Diego City on Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
35 | 48 | 83 |
|
|
46 | 49 | 95 |
Team Stats
Chaffey
| Game Statistics | Chaffey | Saddleback |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (34-76) | (31-65) |
| Field Goal % | 44.7% | 47.7% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 48 |
| Assists | 20 | 24 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 42 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 24 | 36 |
The Saddleback men's basketball team defeated Chaffey College, 95-83, on Wednesday night inside the gymnasium. The Bobcats will play at San Diego City College on Saturday night.
Saddleback jumped out quickly and never trailed the entire game. The Bobcats opened up an 11-4 led in the first five minutes, thanks in part to sophomore Jaden Rahmaan. He had five points, four rebounds, a steal and an assist during the stretch as the Bobcats came out ready to play.
Chaffey battled back to within three points with under eight minutes remaining before the Cats went on another run. This time it was sophomore Michael Bichel, who made a shot from beyond the arc before making a layup as the Saddleback lead grew to 36-28. Mark Reichner followed with a three-pointer before sophomore Malachi Hiers slammed home a dunk and the Bobcats had a 41-30 advantage with 4:13 remaining on the clock. Saddleback eventually a 46-35 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
Saddleback's defense kept Chaffey from ever getting a lot closer in the second half. The Panthers never got closer than nine points until garbage time with under two minutes remaining. Reichner and sophomore Charlie Stallings were dominating over the final 20 minutes, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively, as the Bobcats spent a ton of time at the free throw line.
Saddleback finished with seven players in double-figures. Reichner finished with a team-high 17 points while collecting 10 rebounds. Rahmaan finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead a sophomore unit that was playing for keeps. Hiers had 12 points while finishing with a game-high three blocked shots. Jacob Simon (pictured) also gave Saddleback a boost off the bench with 12 points, including a pair of ally-oop jams over the final 20 minutes.
Saddleback is now 15-14 overall and advances to the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Bobcats will travel to San Diego City College on Saturday night for a 7:00 PM tipoff in San Diego.