Dons eyeing first playoff seed in three seasons

Saddleback defeated Santa Ana by 21 points in the last meeting between the two teams.

GAME PREVIEW:
Men Basketball, Dons vs. Saddleback.

GAME DATE:
Friday, February 22, 2013 at 5:30 P.M.

Powerhouse Saddleback College goes into Santa Ana College Friday night riding a 14-game win streak and looking to stay undefeated in the Orange Empire Conference.

With a win on Friday the Dons will end their three-year playoff drought.

“We got a lot riding on this. We win and we’re in,” Head Coach David Breig said.

The last time the two teams played on Jan. 25., the Dons turned the ball over a season-high 21 times. The Dons high-octane offense struggled and finished the game shooting 31.1 percent from the field, down from its average of 44 percent.

The game ended in a 21-point blow out win for the Gauchos at Saddleback, 71-48.

The Dons look to improve on ball security and rebounding. Breig wants his team to clean up the glass and get the run-and-gun offense out in the open floor to create easy baskets.

The Dons come into the game ranked No. 1 in points per game with 78.9, and leads the conference in three-pointers made, converting 8.4 per game.

“They’re size is the key to their success,” Breig said.

The Dons will look to PF Terryn Large to carry the load on the boards. Large, a sophomore, leads the conference in rebounding at 8.2 per game. But he struggled in the game at Saddleback, shooting two for nine and only grabbing two rebounds.

Guards Kevin Ramirez and Cammie Lewis are charged with keeping the turnovers at a minimum.

“We’re pretty confident, were a good team,” combo guard Cammie Lewis said. “It’s the last game of the season and we want to go out strong”

The game will be played at Santa Ana College at 5:30 p.m.