Pirates topple Vaqueros in nonconference finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (1-13, 0-0) | 43 | 44 | 87 |
|
Santa Barbara (10-6, 0-0) | 35 | 45 | 80 |
SANTA CLARITA -- The Orange Coast College men's basketball team ended the 2025 calendar year in style with a hard-fought, 87-80 win over Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday night in the final game of the College of the Canyons Tournament.
Chris Obiajulu led the Pirates with 23 points, while Jayden Baude, Logan Barbee and Zach Moloian each tossed in 15 points. SBCC was led by Brycen Matthews with 15 points, while James Reach added 13.
With both teams staying close to each other through most of the first half, the Pirates pulled away from the Vaqueros with a 12-2 run to help spark a 43-35 OCC advantage at the half.
Coast matched the energy of the Vaqueros for the second half and did not allow Santa Barbara to get any closer than four points the rest of the way, topping their 43-point first half with 44 points in the second half. The Pirates nailed 7 3-pointers on the game (only 4 by SBCC), while outscoring the Vaqueros 22-16 from the foul line.
When SBCC did get to within four at 67-63 with 7:13 remaining, Coast responded with a Cash Morgan made layup and back-to-back made free throws by Obiajulu, pushing the lead back up to eight at 71-63.
The Pirates will look for two wins in a row on Wednesday night when they kick off Orange Empire Conference play at home against Riverside City College, beginning at 5 p.m.
