WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Brooke Dixon scored in transition from a Lisa Marie Sanchez assist. Then Dixon grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Cynthia Hernandez for a 3-pointer, and she was fouled on the shot, making it a 4-point play after the free throw. Hernandez hit again on a floater from the left side and Sanchez assisted a field goal for Adrianne Sloboh. By the time Wednesday's playoff game was 2:35 old, VC had a 10-0 lead on the visiting Orange Coast Pirates, as Ventura rolled to a 103-63 victory in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Semifinals at the Athletic Event Center.
Hernandez finished with 29 points, including seven more 3-pointers, while Dixon had 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. Not to be overshadowed, Sloboh had 20 points with 14 boards, Sanchez had 10 points and 14 assists and Adrianna Vega had 12 points and seven rebounds. The Pirates advance to the State Elite Eight for a record 16th time as they will host Long Beach City College on Saturday March 8 at 7:00 pm with a berth n the state Final Four on the line.
After opening up the early 10-0 lead with 17:25 left in the first half, the VC Express continued to roll throughout the period. OCC closed to within 14-7 before a 13-2 run by the Pirates of the north essentially put the game out of reach. Sanchez hit a runner to start the run followed by a transition bucket by Dixon off of a Hernandez pass. Vega had a strong drive for a deuce followed by a second chance shot and another fast break score by Dixon. Hernandez nailed a trey after a pair of offensive rebounds by Vega and Sloboh to make the score 27-9 with 12:00 remaining. Sanchez assisted a 3-pointer by Micaela Pericone-Kapp to make it a 20-point game a minute later. Dixon continued to run the floor, finishing the period with 22 points on 11-12 shooting, as VC opened up a 56-31 margin at the break.
The pace continued in the second half as a Sanchez 3-pointer put Ventura ahead by 30, 72-42 at the 15:58 mark. Vega nailed a pair of long-range shots down the stretch and Marissa Hurtado's jumper from the left side put the Pirates over the century mark for the third time in the team's post-season history, making the score 101-63.Pericone-Kapp put the exclamation mark on the 103-63 win in the final minute.
Top-seeded Ventura will host No. 5 Long Beach City College on Saturday March 8 at 7:00 pm at the Athletic Event Center. The Vikings advanced via a 64-62 win at Pasadena City College Wednesday evening. Fans who cannot make the game can hear it live online on the VC Women's Sports Network.