Semifinals,
VC-Kiwanis
Tournament
of
Champions
The Pirates used a decisive 24-0 run over
seven minutes in the first half, powered
by nine points from Erika
Ward and eight from Chanelle
Brennan, to en route to an impressive
80-41 victory over 17th-ranked San Jose
City College in the semifinals of the
VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions
Saturday night at the Athletic Event
Center. VC, ranked #2 in the state,
advances to the tournament final against
#1 Mt. San Antonio Sunday afternoon at
4:00 pm. That game can be heard on
the internet at
www.HomeFieldSports.com.
San Jose (4-3) was hot early, connecting
on four of their first six shots, taking a
9-4 lead in the first four minutes of the
game. The Pirates clawed back into
the contest, and a blocked shot and
rebound by Julie
Heurung led to Amanda Padilla's assist
to Jessi
Selleh at the 13:07 mark giving
Ventura (7-0) its first lead of the game,
14-13. After a 3-point shot by the
Lady Jaguars on the next possession, VC
got the engines running at full steam,
racing on a 24-0 run over the next seven
minutes. Donielle
Griggs began the run, and Brennan gave
Ventura the lead for good, 18-16, with a
bucket with 10:40 remaining in the
half. Another lay-up by Brennan was
followed by nine consecutive points by
Ward, including a 3-pointer and two easy
lay-ups. Griggs followed with her
own trifecta, and Brennan hit the next two
shots. Selleh hit a pair of free
throws with 4:20 left in the period to
make the score 38-16. Michelle
Santizo's 3-pointer with 23 ticks on
the clock made the halftime margin 45-20.
The Pirates slowly built their lead
throughout the final period, taking a
62-31 lead with 12:22 on the clock with a
basket by Griggs. A Lady Jag basket made
the lead was 27, 64-37, before the Pirates
outscored their opponent 15-4 over the
final 7:34 of the ball game. Perhaps
the biggest cheer down the stretch cam on Lacey
Escamilla's 3-pointer at the 1:05
mark. VC won going away 80-41.
Ward and Brennan led four Pirates in
double-figures with 17 points
apiece. Selleh tallied 13 points
while Heurung netted 10. Heurung
missed another double-double by one
rebound, pulling down nine, and Ward,
Griggs, and Kris
King each had four boards.
Padilla had another generous game, handing
out seven assists, and Santizo, Brennan,
and Heurung each had three dimes. As
a team, the Pirates had 23 assists to go
against 10 turnovers. Griggs and
King each had three steals.
In other tournament games on Saturday,
Contra Costa defeated Porterville 63-57
and Imperial Valley bested Taft
59-53. The Comets and Lady Arabs
will face off in the consolation
championship Sunday at 12:00 pm. In
the other semifinal #1 Mt. San Antonio
survived a 70-68 thriller over #11 College
of the Canyons. Canyons will play
San Jose in the third place game at 2:00
pm before VC battles Mt. SAC in the 4:00
pm final. The finals can be heard
live on the internet at www.HomeFieldSports.com.
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