The No. 2-ranked Pirate had the No. 1-ranked Mt. San Antonio Mounties right where they wanted. VC had overcome a slow start and led Mt. SAC 49-46 with 6:44 remaining in the game and went ice cold. The Mounties ended the game on a 21-1 run, claiming the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions title Sunday at the Athletic Event Center, 67-50.
It was a slow start indeed for the Pirates in the 10th meeting between Mt. SAC and Ventura in the finals of the ToC. Aubri Smith tie dthe score at 2-2 with a buckt with 7:37 left in the first quarter. VC fell behind 10-2 over the next two-plus minutes, and managed just five free throws for six minutes before Smith connected again on a runner to make it 14-9. Ventura trailed 17-11 after one quarter of play.
The Pirates got going early in the second period when Kyleesha Green assisted a Brooke Zamora 3-pointer. Green then assisted a lay-up by Amani White and the deficit was one, 17-16. The Pirates made it all the way back when White turned a blocked shot and rebound on the defensive end into a bucket on the offensive end via an Aubri Smith assist, giving VC a 20-19 lead with 5:53 left in the quarter. After Zamora tied the game at 25-25 with :55 remaining, Mt. SAC managed a basket in the final minute and took a 27-25 edge into halftime.
The Mounties regained the edge early in the second half, but VC was able to close the gap and go ahead on Carolyn Ruffino's field goal with 6:31 on the clock. She followed that up with a 3-pointer on the next possession off an Aubri Smith assist and VC led 37-33. The Pirates maintained their slim edge until Mt. SAC tied the game at 42-42 at the 3:11 mark, and the score remained until the end of the quarter.
In the fourth, the Pirates took a three point edge on Zamora's second trey of the night, 47-44, and led 49-46 when Makenna Murray hit a runner in the paint with 6:44 remaining in the game. At that point the bottom fell out for VC, as the y finished the game shooting 0-12 as Mt. SAC slowly pulled away. Trailing 57-49 with just over two minutes remaining, VC sent Mt. SAC to the free throw line to get back into the game, but the Mounties shot 10-10 from the charity stripe down the stretch. VC fell to defeat for the first time this season by a final score of 67-50.
Aubri Smith led VC with 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds, earning All-Tournament honors for the second straight year. White was also selected All-tournament with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Ruffino netted 10 points on the night and Zamora finished with nine.
Ventura will regroup before heading north for the Tom Gilcrest Invitational at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 3-6. The Pirates open with the Porterville Pirates on Thursday Dec. 3 at 2:00 pm in COS's Old Gym.