WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The Pirates' women's basketball team offered a peak into the future by turning back the clock Friday in their home opening 97-29 victory over Imperial Valley in the first round of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions at the Athletic Event Center. VC (3-1) scored the most points since the 2008-09 season, posting the largest winning margin since the same year, and their 62 first half points was the highest 20-minute total since they scored 67 in 2005. Brooke Dixon led four Pirates in double figures with 16 points while Cynthia Hernandez netted 16 points with six assists.
Ventura raced to a 12-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game behind field goals from Dixon, Adrianne Sloboh, Lisa Marie Sanchez, and Hernandez. By the time Micaela Pericone-Kapp hit back-to-back 3-pointers followed by another trey by Makayla Morrison with 9:37 left in the half, the Pirates held a commanding 26-8 advantage. A steal and bucket by Morrison and another field goal by Dixon made it a 22-point lead. Ventura closed the final 6:28 on the period on a 25-3 run to take a 62-15 margin into halftime.
In the second half, Madison O'Donnell opened the scoring with consecutive buckets followed by another score by Dixon. Adrianna Vega and Pericone-Kapp hit triples along with Lexi Hinojosa and Vega, again, and the Pirates never looked back in the final period, cruising to the 68-point victory.
Four Pirates scored in double-figures while four more scored eight or nine points. Sanchez netted 12 points with nine first-half assists and Pericone-Kapp netted 11 points. Vega and Morrison each scored nine points while O'Donnell and Sloboh each recorded eight. Sloboh had a team-high eight rebounds and Sanchez pulled in six steals.
The Pirates will take on Contra Costa in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions Saturday Nov. 30 at 7:00 pm at the Athletic Event Center. The Comets defeated Taft 91-81 on Friday. Other scores included Canyons over Santa Monica 81-70 and Mt. San Antonio over Laney 72-50.