Vaqueros race past Hancock 99-92 to reach tourney final

Robert Hutchins scored a career-high 31 points with nine assists and seven steals on Saturday night, leading SBCC to a 99-92 victory in the semifinals of the Hancock Home Motors Tournament at Joe White Memorial Gym.

Hutchins made 11-of-17 from the field, 3-6 on 3-pointers and 6-8 free throws while scoring 31 points in 31 minutes. Jesse DeVries, a 6-6 freshman forward from Justin, Texas, had a season-best 22 points and six rebounds while Calvin "Josh" Chapital scored 14 points.

Hutchins tallied 19 in the first half and DeVries had 16 as the Vaqueros (2-3) closed on a 22-5 run in the last eight minutes to take a 54-30 lead at intermission. SBCC shot 64.7 percent in the first half, including 6-14 on 3-pointers, and only had two turnovers.

Dominic Jackson led the Bulldogs (4-4) with 18 points.

Santa Barbara enjoyed its biggest lead of 31 points (73-42) when Chris Givens (10 points) made a three-point play with 14:13 remaining. The Vaqueros were still up by 25 with 9:26 to play, then Hancock went on a 29-10 run to pull within 10 (89-79) with 2:47 to go.

The Vaqueros will take on Yuba (4-1) in the championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Forty-Niners outlast San Diego City 85-78 in OT in Saturday's second semifinal.