Cats take down Comets

The Saddleback women's basketball team won a second straight game at the Charger Classic with an 86-80 victory over Palomar College on Saturday in Cypress.  The Bobcats will face Merced College on Sunday.

Saddleback was facing a Palomar program that has been a perennial power over the past decade, so they knew they were going to have to put on a solid performance if they wanted to come out with a victory.  The Bobcats did just that, shooting the ball well while dominating the game inside.

Saddleback kept things close through the first 1.5 quarters as Palomar led by two points at the end of the opening quarter and maintained the lead for the opening portion of the second frame.  The Bobcats then raced past Palomar in the second quarter as the Comets couldn't find a basket as Saddleback outscored Palomar 28-9 in the quarter to take a 44-27 lead at the half.

Saddleback trailed 21-18 when Kalynne Mendez  completed a four-point play when being fouled on a three-pointer that found the bottom of the net.  Mendez made the free throw for a 22-21 lead and Saddleback would never trail again.

Saddleback went on a 15-0 run in taking a 33-21 lead with under five minutes remaining in the half.  The Bobcat lead grew to 19 points when Kalena Akinaka made a jumper with 1:42 left on the clock.  In total, Saddleback made 12-of-16 shots in the quarter while Palomar shot just 24% from the floor.

Palomar chipped away at the lead in the second half and narrowed the lead to five points in the final minutes but could get no closer.  The Comets had no answer for Mendez, who finished with a game-high 28 points on 6-of-9 shooting from long range.  Mendez iced the game when she drilled a three-pointer with 1:27 left in the game to up the Saddleback lead back up to 85-77. 

Mendez was joined by Kassidy Beach in scoring 20-or-more points as Beach finished with 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the floor.  Beach also had a game-high 13 rebounds as Saddleback outrebounded the Comets 43-32 for the game.

Saddleback is now 7-3 overall for the season following the win.  The Bobcats will face Merced College on Sunday at 2:00 PM at Cypress College.