Men’s Basketball Earns No. 6 Seed in 3C2A Southern Regional Playoffs

After tying for second place in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) standings, the Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team has earned the No. 6 seed in the upcoming 3C2A Southern Regional Playoffs, which begin Wednesday, February 25. As a top eight seed, the Hawks receive a first-round bye and will face the winner of No. 11 Mt. San Jacinto and No. 22 Antelope Valley at home on Saturday, February 28 at 5 p.m.

The game will be available for free on the SCC Hawks YouTube channel. Per 3C2A rules, general admission is $12, with a discounted rate of $8 for faculty, staff, and students with a valid ID. Cash and credit cards will be accepted.

MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE - LIVE STATS – VIDEO – CAMPUS MAP

The Hawks' nine-year playoff streak remains intact, dating back to the program's inception, as they have never missed the Southern Regional Playoffs. They look to return to the state championship tournament for the first time since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event.

Santiago Canyon has earned a top-10 seed for the ninth consecutive season and its third straight top-eight seed. The Hawks are the second highest seed from their conference as they are joined by seven fellow OEC programs in the bracket: No. 1 Fullerton, No. 9 Riverside, No. 12 Saddleback, No. 18 Cypress, No. 19 Irvine Valley, and No. 20 Santa Ana.

The Hawks have posted their fifth 20-win season in the last six years, finishing 20–8 overall with a 9–5 conference record.

Santiago Canyon is led by first-team all-conference freshman Jacob De Armas. De Armas has recorded 21 double-digit scoring games and averages 15.1 points, 4.1 assists, and a team-best 1.9 steals per game. He opened conference play with an 11-game double-digit scoring streak that spanned the end of nonconference action. He scored a career-high 27 points against Copper Mountain and added 25 in his most recent outing against No. 9 Riverside. He also leads the conference with 53 steals and ranks second with 114 assists.

Sophomore Ryan Weber follows, averaging 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The 6-10 center has 14 double-digit scoring games, including a career-high 22 points in a mid-January win over Orange Coast. That performance capped an eight-game stretch in which he scored at least 10 points.

Freshman Dominic Bolton adds 10.9 points per game as the team's top perimeter threat. He leads the conference with a 44.9% three-point percentage, followed by freshman Jayden Oei at 41.9%. Bolton also leads the team at the free-throw line (83.1%).

Sophomore Chico Lopez finished the regular season averaging 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while freshman Matt Mendias has emerged as a key bench contributor, averaging seven points per game on a team-leading 51.6% from the field.

Stay tuned to www.scchawks.com for more playoff information.