November
14,
2008
@
Glendale
We
Play Hard. Three simple words
that, when put together and executed on a
basketball floor, usually result in great
performances by a team. After
forgetting the foundation of their storied
program in their season opener, the
Pirates took the We Play Hard motto
to heart Friday afternoon in their 74-52
drubbing of the state's 12th-ranked
Fullerton Hornets in the opening round of
the Vaquero
Shootout at Glendale College.
Ventura, ranked #2 in the state, advances
to a rematch of last year's tournament
finals against Santa Ana in this year's
semifinal contest Saturday night.
The Dons defeated VC 81-77 last year in
the tournament finale.
The Pirates were red hot from the outset,
beginning with Erika
Ward's 3-pointer from the right wing
on the Pirates' first possession.
That was followed on successive trips down
the floor by treys from Michelle
Santizo and Chanelle
Brennan giving VC a 9-2 early
advantage. After a scoreless period
for both teams of five minutes, Ventura
(2-0) expanded the advantage to 10 points,
19-9, on five consecutive points by Ward,
forcing a Hornet timeout.
Fullerton (3-2) closed the gap to six
points, 24-18 with 7:30 remaining in the
half before buckets by Brennan and Jessi
Selleh in a 15-second span padded the
lead to double-figures for good. The
Pirates ended the final five minutes of
the period on a 17-4 run capped by
Selleh's pull-up 17-foot jumper with 2
seconds left, giving VC a comfortable
47-22 halftime advantage.
Ventura expanded their lead to 31, 60-29,
with a 13-7 run over the first 4:16 of the
second half, capped by a Selleh bucket at
the 15:44 mark. With the game well
in hand, the Pirates cruised the rest of
the way, winning the game by a final score
of 74-52.
Several Ventura players were fantasy
basketball all-stars in the game, putting
up numbers in multiple statistical
categories. Brennan led the way with
18 points, including two 3-pointers, seven
rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and
three steals. Ward also had 18
points, including three trifectas, and
three steals in the contest. Santizo
finished with eight points, two treys, six
rebounds, five assists, and two steals
while Julie
Heurung added six points, five boards,
four assists, four blocks, and two
steals. Kris
King led VC on the boards with eight
rebounds.
As a team, VC shot 48 percent from the
field, 27-56, including nearly 56 percent
in the first half. The Pirates also
had 17 assists as a team against 11
turnovers. Ventura had 15 steals in the
contest.
The Pirates will take on Santa Ana in the
semifinals of the Vaquero Shootout
Saturday Nov. 15 at 7:00 pm. Last
year in the tournament's championship
game, the Dons hit 13 3-pointers en route
to a 81-77 win over the Pirates. It
was the first on VC's six losses on the
year. The Pirates will return home
on Saturday Nov. 22 against Antelope
Valley.
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