Men's Basketball rolled into the Santa Barbara Tournament last week riding a four-game winning streak and blew through the competition on their way to the title game. The Cougars, ranked #25, knocked off Long Beach City, 65-57, and Los Angeles Valley, 65-59, on the first two nights to reach the final against fellow Western State Conference team, Oxnard. The Condors, who were 3-21 last season and a combined 58-157 over the past decade, have enjoyed a major resurgence and are currently 7-2 on the season, including their win over the Cougars in last week's tournament finale, 71-59. The loss to the upstart "Vultures", snapped the Cougars' winning streak and dropped their overall record to 9-4 on the season. The Cougars run of victories was the program's longest streak since ending 2019 season with a run of seven wins, before falling to eventual Final Four participant Citrus in the second round of the CCCAA Regional Playoffs.
Sophomore Center Alessandro Perotti led the Cougars through their first two wins. He dominated Long Beach City with a 22-point and 19-rebound double-double against the Vikings. He also got some help from a sharpshooting Guard Shinici Itoh, who converted six three-pointers on his way to 20 points. In the semi-final, Perotti netted 25 more points to put the Cougars past LA Valley, 65-59, and into the title game. In the title game against the rival Condors, Itoh led the way with 16 points, while Perotti added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Cuesta's Cagers are scheduled to enjoy back-to-back bye weeks and have their final bit of action just before the New Year. They shall finish out 2024 and head into the New Year after the Allan Hancock Holiday Classic in Santa Maria on December 29-30. The Cougars are scheduled to play Palo Verde on Sunday, December 29 (1 PM) and Shasta on Monday, December 30 (1 PM). The Cougars shall also host Glendale on January 4 (3 PM) for their final tune-up before Western State Conference play begins back in Santa Maria against the rival Bulldogs on January 11.
