WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: It was a miserable first half for the Pirates Saturday night. VC hit less than 20 percent of its shots offensively, and made uncharacteristic mistakes defensively allowing Mt. San Antonio to build a 38-15 advantage by halftime in the semifinals of the Tom Gilcrest Invitational in Visalia. Ventura (7-2) was able to close the gap to four points in the final minute of play, but could not complete the comeback in their 63-54 loss to the Mounties. Lisa Marie Sanchez led the effort with 18 points, two assists and three steals while Cynthia Hernandez fought off first half foul trouble to net 13 points.
Hernandez hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute to give VC a short-lived 3-2 advantage. Mt. SAC went on a slow 12-4 run over the next eight minutes taking a 14-5 lead with 12:45 remaining in the first half. A bucket by Brooke Dixon and a pair of Sanchez free throws cut the Mounties' lead to 16-9 at the 8:13 mark, and another Dixon deuce kept VC within 21-13 with 6:29 on the clock. The Pirates went ice cold from that point on, however, connecting for just two free throws the rest of the period as Mt. SAC closed with a 17-2 run to take the halftime advantage.
Mt. SAC stretched the lead to 43-15 to open the second half before Ventura began its slow and steady comeback. A 3-pointer by Hernandez and a pair of field goals by Sanchez completed an 8-0 run over the next three minutes, but the Mounties held an 18-point advantage, 51-33, at the 9:06 mark. From that point on, Mt. SAC would only connect for one field goal as the Pirates slowly chipped away at their deficit. Hernandez connected with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 58.1 seconds on the clock to make the score 56-52, but VC could get no closer. The Pirates lost by a final score of 63-54.
Ventura will play in the tournament's third-place game on Sunday Dec. 8 at 2:00 pm against San Joaquin Delta College. The Mustangs lost a heartbreaker to Sequoias, who connected on a free throw with 1.1 seconds left to take the 63-62 decision.