The reality of March basketball is that just one team wins its final game. Unfortunately for the VC men's basketball team, their season ended Thursday as the No. 8-seeded Pirates' furious second half comeback against No. 9 Citrus fell just short in their 77-74 defeat against the Owls. Adrian McIntyre led four Pirates in double figures with 19 points while Anthony McIntyre had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Anthony Garza contributed 14 points and 11 boards. Shulton Tobin added 17 points for Ventura (25-3).
Adrian Mc. scored VC's first two buckets for an early 4-2 Pirate advantage. Citrus came back with six straight points for an 8-4 lead four minutes in, and the game remained close for the next 10-plus minutes with the Owls holding the edge. Aaron Dawoodjee's three at the 14:50 mark made it 11-8, and Garza and Anthony Mc. scored on back-to-back possessions for an 18-16 count midway through the first half. Adrian Mc. made a pair of lay-ups to hold Ventura close at 27-22 with 6:24 on the clock before Citrus went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to hold a 39-24 lead. VC trailed 43-28 at halftime.
The Owls hit a pair of three's around buckets by Garza and Anthony Mc. to open the second half, posting a 49-32 advantage with 17:29 remaining to play. A pair of dunks by Garza and Kordell Gordon jump-started the Ventura offense, as the Pirates went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes. Anthony Mc. scored a lay-up and a free throw, then scored on another drive and Gordon converted an offensive rebound as VC closed to within 41-43 at the 13:18 mark. The Owls were able to stop the Pirate run, and extend their lead back to 69-55 with 7:36 left, but the Ventura resolve had been established.
Tobin sandwiched a pair shots from range around a field goal by Garza, and suddenly VC was within six, 69-63, with under five minutes remaining. Anthony Mc. hit a triple and Tobin scored a lay-up to pull Ventura within 73-70 with 2:48 on the clock. Garza scored to pull the Pirates within a deuce, 76-74, in the final minute, but Citrus made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 77-74 result.
The Pirates shot 53 percent from the floor, 31-58, but were 7-13 at the foul line and committed an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers.
The loss brings to a close one of the better VC basketball seasons in the 10-years under head coach Joey Ramirez. the 25 victories marked the highest win total since the 2007-09 season and the Pirates also extended their Western State Conference winning streak to 25 games dating back to 2018, capturing their sixth straight WSC North title. With a strong group of freshmen slated to return for 2022-23, look for Ventura's success on the hardwood to continue into the foreseeable future.