The Pirates' men's basketball team used a consistent effort on Thursday to turn a small halftime deficit into a 64-55 victory over Cerritos at the Irvine Valley Classic. Bo Dolinsek produced his fourth double-double in as many games with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Kevin Hymes contributed 16 points, seven boards, three assists and four steals. Jeremiah Wilson netted 14 points with six rebounds.
Ventura took control early and held it through most of the first half. Elijah Brown scored back to back buckets early, and Kam'Ron Cigar scored in transition for the 6-2 lead. Hymes assisted a Dolinsek three with 11:55 remaining in the first half to stretch the lead to 17-8 and Hymes jumper at the 8:32 mark made it 23-15. The Falcons began a comeback soon thereafter, taking a 26-25 lead with 3:57 on the clock and they maintained a 34-32 lead over the Pirates at halftime.
VC wasted little time after the break in reestablishing control as they opened the second half with a Dolinsek bucket and a steal and score by Hymes to retake the lead. Dolinsek scored on of two foul shots and Hymes connected for two more field goals to continue the Pirate run, and Dolinsek connected from inside once again and made another charity shot to complete a 12-0 run over 7:27 for Ventura.
The Falcons made some rumblings throughout the remainder of the game, but never mounted a serious comeback bid as VC maintained a workable lead throughout the rest of the game. Cerritos closed to within 54-49 with 3:51 left to play, but Brown's 3-point play stopped the threat a minute later. Ventura was 5-6 at the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win.
Brown ended the game with nine points and nine rebounds.
The Pirates move to the tournament championship on Friday Nov. 8 against the hosts Irvine Valley Lasers. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.