Cats open Charger Classic with a win

The Saddleback women's basketball team opened the Charger Classic Basketball Tournament with a 74-69 win over Reedley College on Friday in Cypress.  The Bobcats will play Palomar College on Saturday.

Saddleback was facing a Reedley team with only one loss on the season so they knew they were in for a tough battle from the outset.  The Bobcats and Tigers were close throughout before Saddleback made a late move to take home the win.

Saddleback and Reedley were tied at 63-63 in the fourth quarter when Nina Saiki drained a three-pointer to give the Bobcats a three-point lead with only 3:40 remaining in the game.  Reedley never got even again as Saddleback outscored the Tigers 11-6 down the stretch to give Reedley its second loss of the season.

Kassidy Beach led a balanced attack with17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field.  She was one of four players in double figures as Saiki finished with 15 points, Kalena Akinaka had 14 points, and Mariana Mina had 13 points.

Saddleback's defense was one of the keys to winning.  The Bobcats forced 26 turnovers while recording six blocked shots in improving to 6-3 on the season.

Saddleback will play Palomar College on Saturday at 5:00 PM inside the Cypress College gymnasium.