Luke Zuffelato Shines in Santa Barbara’s Stunning Upset of Top-Seeded San Clemente

With the season on the line, Luke Zuffelato led the Santa Barbara High boys basketball team on a heart-stopping finishing push that will forever live in Dons’ lore.

Santa Barbara clawed back from a 53-40 deficit entering the fourth quarter and a 59-51 deficit with 2:05 remaining in the game to capture a 61-59 victory over top-seeded San Clemente in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 3A playoffs.

“I told them at the end of the third quarter when we were down 13 ‘we are in this, you guys have come back more times all year. We’re a second half team,’” said Santa Barbara High coach Greg Zuffelato. “They didn’t give up, they kept fighting. That’s our character.”

The thrilling comeback wouldn’t have been possible without a legendary performance from Luke Zuffelato, who finished with a game-high 37 points. With the Dons trailing 59-54 with 1:22 to play in the game, Zuffelato bombed a three-pointer from nearly 30-feet away that swished through the net, cutting the Santa Barbara deficit to 59-57.

About a minute later, Zuffelato connected on another three-pointer from even deeper that gave Santa Barbara its first lead since early in the first quarter, 60-59, sending the J.R. Richards gymnasium crowd into a frenzy.

“I just trusted myself, trusted my game, and I know that all the work that I put in is going to pay off,”  Luke Zuffelato said. “We just know how to win. Early on we lost some games and we just figured out how to win down the stretch.”

On the ensuing San Clemente inbounds, Zuffelato came away with a steal and was fouled with just under 20 seconds remaining. He made one of two free-throws, increasing the Santa Barbara lead to 61-59. 

After a timeout, San Clemente got one final shot for the win, but Porter Hansen’s three-point shot for the win went wide as time expired.

Santa Barbara was climbing an uphill battle the entire game as San Clemente boasted a size advantage across the board.

The Dons fell behind 11-6 on a transition layup by San Clemente’s Christian Fernandez. The Tritons extended their lead to 21-14 on a three-pointer by Hansen with just under 10 seconds to play in the first quarter.

However, Zuffelato responded with a three-pointer as the first quarter buzzer sounded that was a sign of things to come, cutting the Santa Barbara deficit to 21-17.

Hansen scored 19 first half points for San Clemente, including three second quarter three-pointers. The Tritons led 37-23 late in the second quarter, but two free-throws by Finn Whipps and a three-pointer by D.J. Wilson as the halftime buzzer sounded closed the Santa Barbara deficit to 37-28 at the break. 

The third quarter went back-and-forth as Santa Barbara repeatedly would cut into the deficit only for San Clemente to extend it back out to double digits.

Hansen was fouled on a three-pointer with 41 seconds in the third quarter and knocked down all three free throws to extend the San Clemente lead to 53-40. However, Hansen was held to only seven second half points as Zuffelato switched on to him, in a tactical adjustment that likely decided the game.

The Dons pressed for much of the second half, but it didn’t really pay dividends until the fourth quarter as San Clemente was held scoreless until the 3:35 mark of the final period, which along with two thee-pointers by Wilson allowed Santa Barbara to cut its deficit to 53-51. 

The momentum shifted again as a quick 6-0 run capped off by a dunk by San Clemente’s 6’6” big man Will Whidden with 2:05 remaining gave the Tritons a 59-51 lead and appeared to be the dagger, but only set the stage for Santa Barbara’s late game heroics.

Wilson knocked down four three-pointers for Santa Barbara and finished with 12 points. 

Santa Barbara will travel to Bosco Tech for a semifinal game on Friday beginning at 7 p.m.