WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: After a season of overpowering teams with its offense and 3-point shooting, the Pirates' women's basketball team turned the tables Sunday and brought home the program's seventh state championship with defense. Ventura defeated Mt. San Antonio 68-55 Sunday afternoon in Cerritos to win the title, holding the Mounties to 18 percent shooting and just 13 points in the game-deciding first half. VC (32-3) built a 26-13 advantage at the break, leading wire to wire in the victory before a large crowd dominated by orange and black. Adrianne Sloboh was dominant with a career-high 27 points to go along with 19 rebounds and tournament MVP Lisa Marie Sanchez netted 22 points with six rebounds and five assists.
It was clear from the beginning that Mt. San Antonio was not going to allow the Pirates to win the game from the 3-point line where they had made a state-leading and team-record 307 treys on the season. Cynthia Hernandez was fouled on her first attempt from long range, and calmly sank three free throws to give VC the first points of the game. Following a Mt. SAC bucket, the teams remained scoreless for three minutes in a defensive struggle until Sloboh hit one of two free throws to break the Pirate drought. Sanchez made a lay-up, then assisted a 3-point play by Brooke Dixon and Ventura led 9-2 with 12:50 remaining in the first half. A minute later, Sloboh pulled in an offensive rebound and scored, prompting a Mounties' timeout at the 11:23 mark with VC ahead 11-2.
A possession later, Mt. SAC ended their eight minute scoreless streak, but two free throws by Dixon, a coast-to-coast drive and lay-up by Sloboh, and another full-court drive by Dixon for a lay-up extended the Pirate advantage to 17-4. Sanchez turned another Sloboh offensive board into VC's only made 3-pointer of the contest, giving Ventura a 20-4 advantage at the 6:01 mark. A steal and lay-up by Sloboh once again with 4:29 on the clock completed Ventura's 11-0 run making the score 22-4. Mt. San Antonio showed some signs of life with a 7-0 run to climb back to within 22-11, but a pair of Sanchez charity tosses and buzzer beating runner made the score 26-13 at halftime.
The Pirate defense held fast in the final period, and did not allow the Mounties to make any extended run at the leaders.
VC extended the lead to 34-17 at the 16:43 mark on a short jumper by Sloboh, and Mt. San Antonio cut the lead back to 13 points a minute later. The lead moved between 13 and fifteen points with Sloboh answering every Mt. SAC score. The Pirate sophomore scored 10 straight points, giving VC a 42-27 cushion with 10:34 remaining until the ever-anticipated championship moment. With Adrianna Vega and Hernandez occupying two defenders on every possession, Sloboh, Sanchez, and Dixon dominated the 3-on-3 game, and when Dixon patiently worked her way into a step-back jumper at the 3:35 mark, the score was 60-40 and the championship moment was imminent. Sanchez sealed the deal with six of eight free throws down the stretch, and Dixon capped it off with a bucket from a Vega assist. VC led 68-54 with 37 seconds left when the starters walked off the floor for the final time, together in triumph as the state champions. Mt. SAC made one final free throw to settle the final score at 68-55.
Dixon, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Sloboh earned All-State Tournament honors, joining MVP Sanchez, but it was a team effort from the beginning. The sharp shooting all season from Hernandez and Vega formulated a Mt. San Antonio strategy, against which the Pirates were able to overcome from beginning to end. That combined with solid defense on the part of Ventura allowed them to never really be threatened on their way to the title.
And one cannot discount the efforts of the Pirate reserves as well. Sophomore Makayla Morrison played extended minutes throughout the playoffs, and in the championship game, and Micaela Pericone-Kapp gave productive minutes also. Madison O'Donnell was able to give some needed rest inside for Ventura on Sunday, and the other Pirates, Marissa Hurtado, Lexy Hinojosa, Joi Moten, and Sandra Ortiz played significant roles in the championship throughout the season. This combined with the efforts of the Pirate redshirts, Carly Maciel, Shiloh Smith, Carolyn Ruffino, and Heather Tomaszewski, student assistant Danny Sabo, and the volunteer coaches made for a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the entire team.
It was clear, from the disappointment from a first-round playoff loss a year ago, that this Pirate team was destined for greatness. Their work in the off-season and in early season practices laid a foundation of success. Throughout the season and especially in the playoffs, they faced stern competition, and battled it head on. Their willingness to spend the extra time on their game, often times when no one was watching; their willingness to improve every day, allowed them to meet their moment of greatest challenge and make it their finest hour. When the hour came, they decided that there was no other place that they'd rather be than right there, at that time, and they became champions.