Luke Zuffelato Scores 40 Points in Santa Barbara’s 87-77 Victory over Buena

The Dons Win Their Channel League Opener

#1 Luke Zuffellato scored 40 points against Buena. | Credit: Victor Bryant

Sophomore Luke Zuffelato scored 40 points and the Santa Barbara High boys’ basketball team defeated Buena 87-77 in the Channel League opener for both teams on Monday night at JR Richards Gymnasium.

Zuffelato’s 40 points were the sixth-highest single-game scoring outburst in Santa Barbara’s program history.

Santa Barbara was clinging to a 34-32 lead at halftime, but a strong third quarter broke the game open and led to a crucial early season victory.

“You never say it’s a must-win this early in the year, but we definitely didn’t want to take a loss in the first game of league, in early December,” said Santa Barbara coach Corey Adam. “Buena is a good team. We’re going to have to play them again, but it’s a tough league. I think Oxnard is the head of the class, but Buena is right there with them.”

Zuffelato was red-hot from the opening tip. He scored 16 points in the first quarter, including four of his seven three-pointers as the Dons took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter.

“In warmups I could just feel it, and once the first one went in, I just kept with it and kept shooting,” Zuffelato said. “ That’s what shooters do.”

The two teams battled back and forth until halftime, but Santa Barbara opened the third quarter with an 11-4 run that was capped off by a corner three-pointer by sophomore Carter Battle, who finished with 19 points, that extended the lead 53-38 with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Julian Espinoza added a three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter that increased the Santa Barbara lead to 56-40, but a layup just before the third quarter buzzer by Buena’s Sebastian Hernandez cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 57-44 going into the fourth quarter.

“We missed some shots in the third quarter, and it turned into their offense,” said Buena coach Matt Colton. “That was kind of the difference.”

Buena cut its deficit to 57-48 at the 7:20 mark of the third quarter on a three-pointer by Daniel Ortiz, but never got closer. Battle’s third and final three-pointer with 3:30 remaining in the game increased the Santa Barbara lead to 74-61.

Zuffelato inserted the final dagger with just over two minutes to play with his seventh three-pointer to give Santa Barbara an 81-66 lead.

“I shot probably a thousand shots last night. I didn’t feel good about my shooting, and my shot didn’t feel great, but my dad told me I shot between 50-60 percent,” Zuffelato said. “I took that, put it in my brain, and kept shooting today.”

Finn Whipps was solid inside for Santa Barbara (4-3 overall, 1-0 Channel League) and finished with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. Tobin Shyrock and Julian Espinoza chipped in seven points apiece.

Colin Guenther and Daniel Ortiz led the way for Buena (4-2 overall, 0-1 Channel League) with 18 points apiece. Zane Carter added 14 points with excellent efficiency.

Oxnard, 74; San Marcos, 33

The Yellowjackets made a statement in their Channel League opener by routing defending league champion San Marcos. Oxnard improved to 5-0 with the victory. San Marcos dropped to 2-4.

Rio Mesa, 72; Dos Pueblos, 64

The Chargers dropped to 0-3 on the season and 0-1 in Channel League play. They will travel to San Luis Obispo for a tournament beginning Friday.

Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution.