Ventura
72,
Antelope
Valley
57
November
16,
2008
@
Glendale
VC
sophomore
Jessi
Selleh
had
a
game-high
22
points
in
leading
the
Pirates
to
a
72-57
victory
over
#11
Antelope
Valley
in
the
finals
of
the
Vaquero
Shootout
at
Glendale
College.
Other
sophomores
Michelle
Santizo
and
Donielle
Griggs
notched
double-figures
as
well,
along
with
freshman
Chanelle
Brennan,
as
the
Pirates
improved
to
4-0
on
the
young
season,
winning
the
tournament
after
falling
in
the
championship
game
a
year
ago.
Erika
Ward
was
named
the
tournament
MVP
for
her
efforts
throughout
the
weekend,
and
Santizo
was
also
named
to
the
all-tournament
team.
Griggs hit Selleh with assists for the
Pirates' first two scores, as Ventura
(4-0) jumped out 4-1 in the early
going. Leading 6-5, Ward sandwiched
a pair of 3-pointers around a Santizo trey
on three consecutive trips down the floor,
the last one from downtown Glendale, to
put VC ahead 15-5 with 13:56 left in the
first half. A Santizo steal and feed
to Brennan for a fast break lay-up put
Ventura up 27-12 at the 8:33 mark, and
Griggs connected on a strong left-handed
drive to the bucket with 5:30 remaining to
stretch the lead to 16, 30-14.
Antelope Valley (4-2) came back with a
10-2 run over the next five minutes to
close the gap to eight points, 32-24,
before Selleh's old-fashioned 3-point play
from another Griggs assist halted the
skid. VC led at halftime 35-26.
In the second half, Selleh opened the
Prates' scoring with her first trifecta of
the season, giving VC a 40-30 lead.
Brennan followed with her own long-range
rocket from an assist by Ward with 15:28
remaining in the contest, putting Ventura
ahead by 13. Back-to back baskets by
Griggs and Selleh made the score 48-32
with 13:01 on the clock, and Griggs added
the once last long-range shot at the 5:22
mark, putting he Pirates ahead
59-45. Brennan slammed the door shut
on the Marauders with a pair of baskets,
giving her team a 64-49 advantage with
3:26 left. Free throws by Santizo
and Jessica
Jameson led to a 70-49 Pirate margin
with 2:04 remaining for their biggest lead
of the game. Ventura won the Vaquero
Shootout by a final score of
72-57.
Selleh's lead four players in double
figures with 22 points on the night.
It was her best scoring output since the
2007 Regional Final game at Pasadena 20
months ago. Last season she suffered
a serious back injury five games into the
season, and did not return to action,
receiving her year of eligibility back
from the conference over the summer. Brennan connected for an
even dozen on the scoreboard while Griggs
and Santizo netted 11 and 10 points,
respectively. Santizo, Brennan, and Julie
Heurung each grabbed six rebounds to
lead the VC glass attack. Santizo
also dished out seven assists, while Ward
and Griggs and each gave out four
dimes. As a team, VC assisted 19 of
their 25 made field goals on the night
while turning the ball over 15
times. The Pirates connected on a
season best 55 percent of their field goal
attempts (25-45).
Ward was named the shootout's Most
Valuable Player for her performance
throughout the tournament. She
scored 42 points for the three games,
connecting on 15 of 28 field goal
attempts. She hit eight 3-pointers
during the three games, while dishing out
seven assists and grabbing eight
steals. Santizo was named to the
all-tournament team with 32 points, 15
rebounds, 16 assists, and seven steals.
Ventura has the rare pleasure of facing
the same team in a second consecutive game
this coming weekend. They will host
Antelope Valley on Saturday Nov. 22 at
7:00 pm at the Athletic Event
Center. The will host the 11th
Annual VC-Kiwanis
Tournament of Champions Nov. 28-30.
|
