The final score read Ventura 62, Moorpark 47, but the victory seemed hollow. Over the years, the Raiders and Pirates have played some great games with VC coming out on top 56 straight times in the past 26 years, but Wednesday's result at the Athletic Event Center left something to be desired. Ventura turned in a sub-par effort as the season's journey moved to its final full month, leaving more questions at a time when the team should be finding answers. Aubri Smith's double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds while Amani White had 14 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.
Ventura (22-4, 8-0) never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead on buckets from White and Brooke Zamora. The VC offense was shooting well in the opening period, but the defense allowed easy Moorpark baskets as the Raiders kept pace. The Ventura advantage was 17-11 on Makenna Murray's 3-point shot with 3:02 on the clock, but Moorpark pulled to within 20-17 with 1:20 remaining in the quarter. Kyleesha Green assisted an inside bucket by White to close the period as VC held a 22-17 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Pirates opened up some breathing room early in the second quarter with Rhiana Dougan's trey making the score 30-21 at the 7:04 mark. the raiders closed to within 30-25 before Green sparked an 12-2 VC run with a pair of drives to the basket and an assist to Marissa Hurtado's lay-up. Green also grabbed a steal that led to a made jumper by Aubri Smith. Tatum Maciel drew a key charge defensively in the run, and Zamora and Aubri Smith punctuated the run with baskets. The Pirates led 42-28 at halftime.
After halftime, the Pirate offense took a nap. VC managed just four points in the quarter, its lowest output of the season. The quarter began well enough as Aubri Smith scored on a drive down the left side. After that, Ventura missed 10 straight shot attempts with six turnovers mixed in before Green made the Pirates final attempt. Luckily, the Raiders, playing shorthanded with just seven players, were unable to take advantage, cutting the Pirate lead to 46-36 after three quarters.
Murray started of the final period with an old-fashioned 3-point play, and the raiders cut the Pirate advantage under double figures just once in the quarter. Zamora hit a 3-pointer from the right wing at the 3:06 mark to seal the deal, making the score 60-47. The Pirates held on for the 62-47 victory.
White's 14 points led the team as she connected on seven of nine shots from the floor. Her five blocks is also a season-high for the team. Aubri Smith posted her fourth double-double of the season. Zamora ended the night with nine points with a pair of blocked shots and Green posted eight points and six assists.
Next up, the Pirates will seek to rebounds from their poor performance with Los Angeles Pierce College on Saturday Feb. 6. Tip-off with the Brahmas is slated for 5:00 pm on a day that could be eventful. The VC men's and women's basketball teams are hosting their 17th Annual Barbeque Fundraiser at the VC Sportsplex beginning at 4:00 pm.
Additionally, VC head coach Ned Mircetic could pull even with legendary Buena High School girl's basketball coach Joe Vaughan with a win. If VC prevails, Mircetic and Vaughan, both of whom are tops in their respective realms in wins, would have identical 761-112 career marks. Vaughan coached at Buena from 1976-2007, less than two miles from the VC campus. Many of his former players went on to play at Ventura College for Mircetic and the Pirates.