The Santa Rosa Junior College men’s basketball team controlled the game from the opening minutes and cruised to a 100-62 conference win over American River College Jan. 20 at Haehl Pavilion.
Santa Rosa established control early in the first half, building a lead behind consistent interior scoring and defensive pressure. The Bear Cubs limited American River’s clean looks and capitalized in transition, taking a 38-22 advantage into halftime after dictating the tempo on both ends of the floor.
“We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from the perimeter, but we kind of had them overmatched inside,” head coach Craig McMillan said. “We were able to score in the paint a lot, and once we started getting fast-break buckets, our shots started falling.”
With a 16-point cushion at the break, Santa Rosa sharpened its focus coming out of halftime. The Bear Cubs tightened up defensively, forced early stops and turned them into fast-break opportunities, outscoring American River 62-40 in the second half to put the game out of reach.
McMillan said defense — not scoring — was the priority coming out of halftime.
“We wanted to play better defense to get going,” McMillan said. “The first 10 minutes of the second half, we played really good defense.”
Santa Rosa’s ball movement reflected that defensive effort. The Bear Cubs finished with 22 assists, a mark McMillan said highlighted the team’s approach.
“We shared the ball,” he said. “That’s what I liked most about our approach.”
Forward Tayden Collins led Santa Rosa with 15 points, while guard Gavin Early added 14. Guard Tatum Kurpinsky finished with 12 points, and guard Spencer Langowski chipped in 10 as Santa Rosa spread scoring across the lineup.
Forward Travis Hightower said the team’s defensive mindset, as well as trust and effort for the offensive flow, carried through the game.
“We just came out and hit first,” Hightower said. “Good defense. It inspired the rest of our players.”
Early echoed that sentiment, saying defense fueled confidence.
“Our defense made us want to go get after it and not give anything easy up,” Early said. “It boosted our confidence and made us want to share the ball more and get easier buckets.”
Despite entering the game as the projected favorite, McMillan said accountability keeps his team locked in.
“You’ve got to hold them accountable,” he said. “If guys don’t get the job done, you talk to them, take them out if needed — next man up.”
The win capped an intense stretch of Big 8 Conference play for Santa Rosa. The Bear Cubs opened league action with an 86-74 win over San Joaquin Delta College on Dec. 27 and followed with victories at Diablo Valley College (86-73) and Folsom Lake College (84-36). Santa Rosa edged Cosumnes River College 61-60 before falling 85-82 to Sierra College. The Bear Cubs rebounded with a 77-55 win at Sacramento City College before a 74-60 loss to Modesto Junior College Jan. 16.
Santa Rosa returns to action Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. for an away game against San Joaquin Delta College.
