Men's Basketball Celebrates Best Season in 19 Years

By AJ Nagbe & Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara City College Men's Basketball team (15-13) closed out the 2025–26 season with a 94-81 victory over Cuesta on Friday night, finishing over .500 for the first time in 19 years. Celebrating Sophomore Day in Rob Gym, the Vaqueros used a strong offensive performance and steady second-half execution to secure the home finale.

SBCC was led by Jack Berry, who scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting while adding five rebounds. Mason Thomas provided a major lift off the bench with a game-high 23 points, converting 7 of 10 field-goal attempts and going 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. James Reach contributed 15 points and four rebounds to round out a balanced scoring effort for the Vaqueros in the win.

Statistically, the Vaqueros controlled the game with efficient shooting and ball movement, finishing 33-of-65 from the field (50.8%) and knocking down 11 three-pointers while recording 19 assists to just four turnovers. Their defensive pressure translated into 13 points off turnovers and a 36–26 advantage in bench scoring, helping them build a lead that grew to as many as 17 in the second half. Cuesta shot 47.5% and held a 36–32 edge on the boards, but was limited to 10 assists and five points off turnovers as the Vaqueros maintained momentum throughout the night.

Mason Thomas said the turning point came when SBCC matched Cuesta's physicality and began to string together defensive stops after halftime. "We were just getting beat on the boards early and weren't matching their physicality," Thomas said. "We were scoring, but they were coming down and scoring every time, so that hurt us."

Thomas, who scored a team-high 23 points off the bench, said he focused on staying aggressive while reading the defensive attention coming his way. "My shots were falling, and my teammates have a lot of confidence in me," he said. "In the second half, I wanted to stay aggressive but also make the right play. If they focused on me, that meant kickouts and open shots for others."

He added that momentum shifted as the Vaqueros began hitting perimeter shots and tightening up defensively, energizing both the team and the home crowd. "When we started knocking down threes and getting stops, you could feel the energy change," Thomas said. "The crowd got into it, and that gave us even more momentum."

Head coach Devin Engebretsen said the difference came on the defensive end after halftime, when the Vaqueros increased their urgency and execution. "They shot 56 percent in the first half, which is really bad for [our] program that emphasizes defense," Engebretsen said. "To our guys' credit, they came out with a much better sense of urgency, guarding the basketball, sharper rotations, and rebounding to clear the glass."

He noted the adjustment held Cuesta to 40 percent shooting in the second half, while SBCC responded offensively by shooting 61 percent over the final 20 minutes.

Engebretsen also pointed to the bench's impact, highlighting Thomas' 23-point performance as a key momentum shift. "He made some really big buckets and got an and-one late to kind of stem the tide," Engebretsen said. "For a freshman to come in off the bench and do that was huge for us."

The coach added that the team's sophomore class set the tone on Sophomore Day, providing leadership at halftime and helping steady the group after Cuesta's first-half push. "They've shown leadership all year," he said. "They did a great job expressing that our defense was not acceptable and then executing on the offensive end."

With the win, SBCC finished the season 15–13 overall and 5–7 in conference, placing fourth, a mark Engebretsen said reflects continued progress in the program's rebuild. "We're over .500, and we're continuing to build," he said. "We're trying to bring in high-quality student-athletes who care about basketball, school, and this college, and we're excited about what's next."

This year's sophomore class graduates with 23 wins over their two years, a mark that had not been reached since the 2008 graduating class won 27 games. For a program that went 1-25 six years ago, Santa Barbara's rise should be respected and celebrated. The future of this program is worth following, and Vaqueros fans can be excited for continued growth in 2026-27.