Atascadero’s sizzling 3-point shooting night fuels 21-point win over Templeton
Atascadero High’s basketball team came out firing on all cylinders on Tuesday and didn’t let up.
The Greyhounds (16-6, 2-1 Mountain League) drained 15 3-point shots en route to a 76-55 win at home over the Eagles (16-8, 1-2 Sunset League).
The highly anticipated non-league matchup featured two of San Luis Obispo County’s top teams in a gym packed with fans from both North County schools, as well as Atascadero High and Atascadero Middle School cheer teams.
Atascadero’s Steven Ernst led the way with a game-high 23 points, including seven makes from behind the arc.
In the second quarter, Ernst went on a tear to give the orange faithful plenty to cheer about, nailing five consecutive 3-point shots.
Then in the fourth quarter, Atascadero’s Da’shawn Brown came off the bench and caught fire, rattling off four 3-pointers in the quarter in a shooting display of his own.
Shea Buckley, Atascadero’s top scorer who’s averaging about 23 points per game this season, added 11 points, and 6-foot-3 forward Damon Mitchell tallied nine points in the comfortable Greyhounds win.
Templeton was led by 6-foot-6 power forward Colter Tannehill, who tallied 20 points to lead the Eagles. Templeton’s Kevin Sass added 12, and Harrison Bays tallied nine points.
“I felt the energy in the gym,” Ernst said. “The gym was packed out, so crowded. It just felt like a great night. I was getting open. My teammates helped me out. We had great passing tonight, and it was just great night overall.”
Atascadero Coach Augie Johnston said that he prepared his team for a zone defense because Templeton played zone against Mission Prep earlier this season.
“(Ernst) just knows that when they put zone out there, his job is to stretch the defense, and so he has his finger on the trigger,” Johnston said. “Every now and then he has these kind of nights with his 3-point shooting, and there have been a couple of games this season like this for him.”
Ball and player movement opened up some shots for Ernst and other Greyhounds, who didn’t miss many.
Johnston said that Atascadero’s team is balanced and experienced. Johnston said his team is shooting over 40% on 3-pointers this season.
“We have eight seniors on this team and four of them have been on varsity since their sophomore year, so we’re lucky for that,” Johnston said. “And our junior class is really strong too. So we’re all juniors and seniors right now, and they’re really strong across the board.”
Buckley has steadily progressed in his play, improving his scoring average from 17 points per game as a sophomore to 21 as a junior and 23 per contest this season, while attracting interest from college-level programs, Johnston said.
Johnston added: “Templeton is having a great season. We were nervous coming in the game, and we prepared like we would for any other team, and, just luckily, we played some good defense.”
Johnston said Isaiah Rodriguez, a senior guard, has been a stopper against multiple top scorers from others teams, holding some top opponent scorers to under 10 points per game.
Ernst credited Johnston, a former overseas professional player, for knowing “how to put our team together” and coaching them well.
Ernst said that he feels like the team chemistry is strong and players are gelling more this season compared to last.
“I’m so proud of our team,” said Ernst, a 5-foot-10 senior guard. “We’re doing great with our overall record. We got more to come. It’s not over yet. We’re coming for a CIF championship, for sure.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 10:27 PM.
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