MEN'S BASKETBALL: The Ventura College men's basketball team opened the 2013-14 campaign with a solid 84-75 victory over Palomar College in the We Play Hard Tip-Off Tournament at the Athletic Event Center Thursday night. Pirate sophomores scored 30 of the team's final 34 points as they held off a scrappy Comet team down the stretch. Sophomores Ivan Dooley, 26 points, Anthony Morman, 16 points, and Jon McMurry, nine points, eight assists and five boards, led the way for Ventura while freshman Jalen Young also added 15 points in the win.
The Pirates fell behind 5-0 early, going scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. Morman got the VC scoring going with an easy finish by the basket, followed by a Dooley score. The Comets, however played touch, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first half, allowing them to equalize the Pirates' strong transition game.
While the first 10 minutes may have belonged to Palomar, the Pirates began to clamp down defensively in the second 10 minutes of the period. After a 3-pointer from Dooley in the corner tied the game at 19-19, the VC men held Palomar scoreless the next five minutes. Ventura got electrifying breakaway steals for dunks from Dooley and back-to-back 3-pointers from the right corner from freshman guard Tim Garcia. The Pirates took a 28-22 point lead with around six minutes to play in the half, a lead in which they would not relinquish. The Pirate men took a 38-34 lead into the break behind Dooley's 14 points and freshman point guard Young's nine.
The second half produced some foul trouble for the Pirates. Young picked up his third foul with 15:26 on clock, and 20 seconds later freshman Ramon Franklin picked up his third as well. Dooley and fellow sophomore Morman took the ship over from that point coming down with several rebounds and leading the Pirates in scoring from the 13 minute mark until the closing minutes of the contest. Sophomore wing McMurry, led all Pirates in assists with eight, several coming down the stretch. Late lay ups and free throws allowed the Pirates to cruise into an 84-76 victory.
Sophomores Ivan Dooley and Tony Morman finished with 26 and 16 points, respectfully. Morman also grabbed nine rebounds, five of them on the offensive end. Dooley pulled down six boards. Young recorded 15 points and four assists in his Pirate debut. Other notables were Jon McMurry's nine points, eight assists and six boards. Freshman reserves Garcia and Vondel Faniel each tallied six points, playing crucial roles in different stretches of Pirate runs.
Ventura will play Pasadena City College in the semifinals on Friday Nobv. 8 at 7:00 pm. The Lancers defeated Los Angeles Valley 61-38. Other scores from Thursday include Orange Coast over Moorpark 67-65 and Antelope Valley over pre-season No. 1 Mt. San Jacinto 79-67. Friday's schedule at the tournament includes Moorpark vs. Mt. San Jacinto at 1:00 pm, Los Angeles Valley vs. Palomar at 3:00 pm and Antelope Valley vs. Orange Coast at 5:00 pm.