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Ventura 56, Mt. San Antonio 68

December 8, 2007

Semifinals,  Moorpark College Classic

Box Score

     Basketball competition between two good, evenly matched teams is measured by the details.  Games are usually decided by a single pass, play, possession, or small collection of possessions.  Such was the case Saturday night in the semifinals of the Moorpark College Classic.  Ventura had a bad stretch of not more than three minutes midway through the second half, and Mt. San Antonio exploited that stretch, using a 10-0 run to take an even game into their possession.  The Pirates dropped the 68-56 decision to the Mounties, setting up a third-place contest against tournament host Moorpark College, who lost the other semifinal, Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm at the Raider Pavilion.

     After Mt. SAC (14-1) scored on the opening possession of the game, the Pirates countered with a bucket by Sara Nicholson on their first possession.  Jenelle Conklin hit on the next Pirate shot attempt before VC would miss nine consecutive shots thereafter.  The Ventura defense held fast, and when Indira Kaljo hit a runner in the paint to break the drought, VC trailed 8-6 with 12:20 remaining in the opening stanza.  Michelle Santizo connected on lay-up, and that was followed by a Kaljo bucket on the Pirates' fourth shot attempt in the next possession, which included two Nicholson offensive boards, knotting the score at 14 at the 7:58 mark.  A minute late Julie Heurung connected on a bucket off of a Kaljo pass, and hit the ensuing free throw to complete an old-fashioned 3-point play giving Ventura its first lead of the game, 17-14, with 6:48 on the clock.  The game seesawed back-and-forth for the remainder of the half, as Kaljo gave VC 28-26 advantage with a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left.  The Mounties would score on the final possession of the period to knot the score at 28 at halftime.

     Mt. SAC scored the first six points of the second half before Conklin connected on a strong lay-up down the left side with 17:04 on the clock.  Conklin's long-range bomb at the 11:32 mark form a Jessica Jameson dime put the Pirates ahead 40-39.  The teams traded scores before, with VC ahead 42-41, the game fell apart for Ventura.  Mt. SAC went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, capitalizing on missed shots and Pirate turnovers, taking a 51-42 advantage.  Santizo broke the spell with a trifecta at the 8:09 mark, bringing Ventura back to within six, 51-45.  The damage had been done, however, as the Pirates faced an uphill climb from that point.  VC came as close a three points, 54-51, but could not overcome the deficit, falling away at the end 68-56.

     Kaljo and Conklin led the Pirates with 14 points each, and Santizo added an even dozen for the game.  Eja Wong, Conklin, Jameson, and Kaljo each pulled down four rebounds and Wong handed out two assists.  Kaljo had two steals for the Pirates.

     Ventura will play in the third-place game on Sunday against Moorpark, who dropped an 85-73 decision to Santa Ana in the tournament's other semifinal.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Raider Pavilion.