Ventura
58,
Antelope
Valley
49
Playing
the
same
team
twice
in-a-row
is
rare
in
California
Community
College
basketball,
but
that
is
just
what
Ventura
College
and
Antelope
Valley
did
Saturday
night
at
the
Athletic
Event
Center.
Six
days
after
meeting
in
the
finals
of
the
Vaquero
Shootout
where
VC
won
72-57,
the
Pirates,
ranked
#2
in
the
state,
prevailed
in
the
rematch
58-49,
sweeping
the
two
game
set
from
the
state's
10th-ranked
team.
Sophomore
Donielle
Griggs
led
three
players
in
double-figures
with
16
points,
while
the
VC
defense
held
its
opponent
under
50
points
for
the
third
time
in
five
games.
The Pirates demonstrated their
ball-control on offense on their first
possession of the game, working the ball
until Julie
Heurung hit Michelle
Santizo on the right wing as the shot
clock closed in on zero. Santizo
connected on the 20-footer as the buzzer
sounded and VC took an early 3-0
lead. After a Heurung bucket made it
5-0, Antelope Valley (4-3) came back and
knotted the score with 17:20 remaining in
the first half. Griggs connected on
her own 3-pointer less than a minute later
putting Ventura (5-0) up for good.
She also hit the next bucket forcing a
Marauder timeout at the 16:31 mark with VC
ahead 10-5. The Pirate advantage was
four, 17-13, when a Chanelle
Brennan runner on the right
side, followed by a high arching 3-pointer
from Christine
McPherson stretched the lead to nine,
22-13, with 7:57 on the clock. An
AVC trifecta in the stanza's final minute
made the halftime score 34-28 in favor of
Ventura.
Santizo opened the second period with an
old-fashioned 3-point play on the Pirates'
first possession, beginning a 7-2 VC run
which made the score 41-30 with 15:57
remaining in the contest. The game
stayed in that range for the remainder of
the contest, as Antelope Valley was not
able to get closer than seven points the
rest of the way. AVC hit a bucket to
make the score 50-43 at the 6:50 mark, but
that was answered by a pick-and-roll play
from Santizo to Heurung on the very next
Pirate shot. Jessi
Selleh's drive across the middle
punctuated by a wide-sweeping left-handed
lay-up pretty much finished the Marauders
off, making the score 56-47 with 2:48 left
to play. VC ended the game on top,
58-49.
Griggs' 16 points led the way, and Santizo
contributed 14 points, seven rebounds,
three assists, and three steals.
Heurung netted 10 points and pulled down a
team-high eight boards with three assists
and two blocks. Selleh and Brennan
each contributed six points to the Pirate
victory.
Ventura returns to the hardwoods on Friday
Nov. 28 in hosting the 11th
Annual VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions.
They will take on Taft College at 6:00 pm
at the Athletic Event Center on
Friday. Other games during the day
include top-ranked Mt. San Antonio versus
Porterville at 2:00pm; #7 College of the
Canyons against Contra Costa at 4:00 pm;
and #19 San Jose and Imperial Valley in
the nightcap at 8:00 pm. Tournament
games will continue on Saturday at 1, 3,
5, and 7pm; and Sunday at 12, 2, and 4pm.
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