The Pirates had the champs on the ropes. As late as the 15:20 mark of the second half, the Ventura College men's basketball team had the advantage over defending state champion and top-seeded San Diego City College Saturday night, before the No. 9-seeded Pirates fell to the Knights, 91-84 in the CCCAA SoCal Regional Finals. Malcolm Ruff had a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead VC (22-8), while Jacob Alonzo and Isiah Reyes each netted 15 in the season-ending loss.
Following the pattern of a true heavyweight fight, neither team gained the upper hand in the early going. San Diego managed a 12-6 advantage five minutes into the game, but the Pirates came right back with an old-fashioned 3-point play by Ruff. A three from Taylor Sturgeon with an assist by Jacob Berry, and a coast-to-coast drive and lay-up by Reyes pulled VC back even 16-16, with 12:20 remaining in the first half. Ruff made back-to-back lay-ups with helpers from Alonzo and Dondre Watson, respectively, and Reyes converted a circus shot inside to put Ventura ahead 24-21 two minutes later.
Reyes dropped a dime for Ruff on the next possession, and Alonzo scored on a lay-up to complete a 10-0 Pirate run and make it 28-21 with 8:43 on the clock. After the Knights closed to within 30-28, VC went on another streak, including a putback by Ruff, another Sturgeon triple, and a charity toss from Ruff to give the Pirates a 36-28 lead with 5:33 remaining in the first half. Late in the first half, Alonzo's make from range and Darrell Handy-Johnson's dunk and free throw for a 3-point play gave the Pirates their biggest lead of the game, 47-38, with 1:44 on the clock. SDCC answered with their own dunk, but Alonzo sank two free throws to maintain the advantage at the 1:10 mark. The Knights came back, however, outscoring the Pirates 5-0 in the final minute to make the halftime score 49-45 for VC.
San Diego completed a 14-4 run around intermission three minutes into the second half, taking a 55-53 lead with 16:34 on the clock. John Williams assisted a Ruff deuce to tie the score, and a Williams steal on defense led to another triple by Sturgeon and the Pirates went back ahead. The Knights answered quickly, then moved ahead 60-58 before Terrell Handy-Johnson's dunk knotted the score once again with 13:45 remaining. San Diego took over at that point, going on a 15-3 run over the next 3:45 to take a 75-63 advantage at the midpoint of the second half.
The Pirates fought like champions, keeping the game within reach until the very end. Reyes made a 3-pointer and a lay-up on back-to-back possessions to pull VC to within 86-80 with 3:34 remaining, and Alonzo's bucket made it a five-point game, 87-82, at the 2:27 mark. The Pirates could pull no closer, however, having their season come to an end by a final count of 91-84.
Darrell H-J totaled 13 points in the contest and Sturgeon ended with nine. Alonzo had eight rebounds and five assists while Reyes dropped four dimes in the game.
Ventura ends its season with an overall mark of 22-8. They advanced to the State Sweet 16 for the first time since 2012 and posted the best season record in five years. VC was 9-1 in Western State Conference North Division play, earning the programs third straight conference crown, and they played hard to the end, continuing the We Play Hard legacy of Ventura College Pirate basketball.