The Pirate bench scored 47 combined points Friday afternoon, led by Rhiana Dougan's team-high 17 as the Ventura College women's basketball team defeated Mira Costa 72-30 in the first round of the Wild West Shootout at West Los Angeles College in Culver City. Dougan shot 5-7 from 3-point land and added three steals on defense to lead the Pirates (10-3).
The Pirates got off to a slow start, shooting 6-20 in the first quarter as they gradually built a 13-4 advantage. In the second, they received a boost off the bench from Dougan with three threes in the period. Sienna Brown also came in and provided a spark with five second quarter points and Kyleesha Green did some heavy lifting with eight first half rebounds, six in the second period. Felicia Magana also came off the bench to hit from long range in the second quarter as Ventura opened up a 31-14 halftime edge.
VC began to roll in the third period with Aubri Smith connecting on a pair of buckets, pulling in four offensive rebounds, and handing oput two assists. Amani White also hit a pair of power lay-ups as the Pirate lead expanded to 28 points, 55-27, and the end of the quarter. VC only allowed one basket and a free throw in the fourth to pull away with a 72-30 win over the Spartans.
Overall 12 Pirates scored in the game, while 13 pulled in a rebound and 10 recorded an assist.
Kyleesha Green had an outstanding game with 11 team highs in rebounds and assists with 11 and six, respectively. Alex Kalmbach finished with eight points, five rebounds and two assists while Makenna Murray, Marissa Hurtado and White each totaled six points. Aubri Smith handed out four assists while pulling in six boards.
The Pirates advance to the semifinals of the tournament, ad will take on Santa Ana College at 5:00 pm on Saturday Dec. 19 in Culver City.