WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: It has been said that great players play best in the biggest games. Monday night was definitely a big game for the Pirates, the championship of the VC-Optimist Club Holiday Tournament against a talented opponent in Los Angeles Valley College. Lisa Marie Sanchez showed why she is a great player, holding VC steady when the Monarchs led by as many as 15 points in the first half, guiding Ventura (15-3) all the way back to a 76-71 victory, earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors. The sophomore guard had 27 points and five assists while all-tournament selection Cynthia Hernandez scored 16 points with six rebounds and Brooke Dixon had a double-double of 12 points and 14 boards in the win.
LA Valley had control in the first half, slowly building a solid advantage. The Pirate offense seemed off a bit as the Monarchs hit 15 of their first 23 shots, including five of six from 3-point land. After the game's fifth tie at 12-12 with 15:47 left in the period, LAVC slowly but steadily moved out to a 40-25 lead with 2:41 on the clock. Sanchez, with 17 first-half points kept the Pirates within striking distance. Adrianna Vega ht a 3-pointer from a Sanchez assist at the 2:04 mark to begin the Pirate comeback, and scores from Sanchez and Micaela Pericone-Kapp helped ste the score to 43-34 at halftime.
Hernandez used an assist from Adrianne Sloboh to hit a triple to open the second half, and Sloboh scored her own field goal on the next possession. Dixon hit from 14 feet to make the score 47-41 at the 18:09 mark and the comeback was on. Hernandez scored again to pull VC to within four points, but LA Valley responded by surging the lead back to nine, 52-43 with 15:57 remaining in the game. A shot and a free throw by Sloboh brought the lead back down, as did a pair of free throws and a bucket from Sanchez. After a pair of charity tossed from Dixon, Sanchez tied the game at 52-52 with 10:55 on the clock.
Valley responded with a mini 4-0 run, but a 3-pointer by Hernandez and two Sanchez free throws put VC back ahead 61-60. Vega and Hernandez sandwiched a pair of triples around a Monarch score, and another Hernandez triple made it 70-64 with 4:37 left in the contest. LAVC came back to within 71-70 at the 2:46 mark, but two Pericone-Kapp free shots and a Dixon free throw gave Ventura a 74-71 advantage in the with 30 seconds on the clock. Sanchez, appropriately, sealed the win with two free throws with three seconds left to set the final 76-71 margin.
Pericone-Kapp came off the bench for seven points and five rebounds and Makayla Morrison played an excellent floor game helping out Sloboh, who was still recovering from the illness that kept her out of Sunday's semifinal win.
VC closes out its non-conference schedule at 15-3, and is once again the newly selected No. 1-ranked team in the state. However, they begin Western State Conference with a tough test, a trip to No. 12 Cuesta (15-2), who was the last undefeated team in the state this season. The Pirates tip off in San Luis Obispo at 5:00 pm on Wednesday Jan. 8 and the game will be followed by the Ventura men against the Cougars at 7:00 pm.
The Pirates with members of the East Ventura and Sunrise Optimist Clubs accepting their championship trophy for the 2013 VC-Optimist Club Holiday Tournament following their 76-71 victory over Los Angeles Valley Monday at the Athletic Event Center.