Rams use 3-ball to beat Vaqueros for Classic title

Steve Evans broke a 44-all tie with back-to-back 3-pointers on Saturday night and Victor Valley went on to defeat SBCC 76-68 to claim the championship of the 42nd annual SBCC Classic in the Sports Pavilion.

The Rams (9-6) hit 11-of-29 from long range and outscored the Vaqueros 33-18 from the 3-point line. They were also efficient on free throws, making 13-16 compared to 10-18 for the home team.

The loss snapped a four-game win streak by the Vaqueros (4-5) and dropped them to 4-1 at home. SBCC, which was making its first appearance in a Classic final since 2007, has won its own tournament eight times and finished second on eight occasions.

Center Thomas Walker led the Vaqueros with a season-high 23 points and nine rebounds. The 6-7 sophomore from Aliso Viejo knocked down 10 of 16 shots.

"Tommy had a good game, we couldn't get it to him enough," said SBCC coach Morris Hodges. "He had a little height advantage and was able to take advantage of that."

Sean Keyes added 13 points, including a trio of triples, and Alonzo McCain had 12 points and six assists. Alex Koutroubis grabbed eight rebounds and Jon Montez had six.

Evans led five Rams in double figures with 19 points and drained 5-11 from 3-point land. He also had six rebounds and four assists. His two straight 3's in the second half ignited a 14-5 run that gave the Rams a 58-49 lead with 11:52 to play.

SBCC never got closer than five the rest of the way. Every time the Vaqueros got within 5 or 7 points, Victor Valley would answer with a triple. The Rams hit 7-15 from long range in the second half.

"They hit some big, deep 3s and were really hurting us on penetration," said Hodges. "We tried to change it up and make them hit some perimeter shots and they did. We knew they liked to shoot the 3, almost half of their attempts have been 3-pointers this year.

Tournament MVP James Tonic scored 18 points for the Rams on 7-11 shooting while Deshawn Hayes had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kimani Lane, the No. 7 scorer in the state at 21.5 per game, also had 11.

Evans made the all-tournament team along with Walker and McCain of SBCC, Lavell White of Hancock and Chris Porter of Irvine Valley.

Hancock took home the third-place trophy with an 83-69 win over L.A. Valley. Irvine Valley was the consolation champ after beating Cypress 68-54.

There were five ties and 16 lead changes in the championship game. Walker scored 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, which ended in a 36-36 tie.

SBCC took a 41-38 lead early in the second half when McCain threw a no-look pass to Walker for a layup. The Rams went on a 12-3 run, however, and took the lead for good at 50-44. Ty Cleland scored five straight to pull the Vaqueros within a point at 50-49 but Victor Valley created some separation with an 8-0 run.

Victor Valley held a narrow edge in shooting, 44.8 to 42.6 percent.

"We got contributions from a lot of different guys in this tournament and we had some good balance," Hodges added. "We were confident and played well. Alonzo really turned up his offensive production (scoring 20, 12 and 13 in three games).

"We rallied to win a tough game in overtime against a good Miramar team, then got a big lead vs. L.A. Valley and withstood a comeback. We're handling adversity well and finding ways to win. That bodes well for our confidence."

The Vaqueros will take the next few weeks off for Christmas before opening play in the Hancock Tournament on Sunday, Dec. 28. They'll battle No. 9 Fresno City in the first round at 1 p.m.