The Pirates' women's basketball team did not have their best game, but they kept scratching, clawing and fighting to save the season. An Aubri Smith lay-up gave the Pirates a two point lead with 2:50 remaining in the game, but Ventura could not hold on, falling 72-65 in he CCCAA SoCal Regional Quarterfinals. The loss ends Ventura's season with a 26-5 record.
The two heaviweights came into the contest more evenly matched than their Nos. 3 and 14 seeds indicated. They had split games early in the season, and their history indicated it would be a hard-fought affair. The match-up did not disappoint.
After PCC jumped out to the early 2-1 lead, a Brooke Zamora 3-pointer put the Pirates ahead. The teams traded barbs throughout the first quarter with Ventura holding the upper hand. An offensive rebound and putback by Amani White made it 15-9 with 2:32 remaining in the period before the Lancers closed on a 10-3 run to take the 19-18 advantage at the quarter break.
Carolyn Ruffino began the second period with a triple, and Aubri Smith netted five straight points for the Pirates. Kyleesha Green assisted a bucket by Alex Kalmbach at the 4:22 mark of the quarter, giving Ventura a seemingly comfortable 32-23 advantage.
But as it had done so many times during the season, the Pirate offense went cold, opening the door for Pasadena to mount a comeback. PCC scored the final 10 points of the half to take a 33-32 lead into halftime.
The Lancers were the aggressors when the second half began. They opened the third period with a two and a three to stretch the lead to 38-32, and stretch the run to 15-0, Zamora broke the skid with another trey, and Green assisted an Aubri Smith three to tie the score at 38 with 6:31 remaining in the period.
Pasadena responded, however, reasserting their five point lead, 43-28, and they maintained the advantage until Green completed a 3-point play followed by a White bucket inside that tied the game at 50 with 1:28 on the clock. Kalmbach nailed a pair of free throws to put Ventura ahead, but the Lancers scored before the end of the quarter to tie the game once again.
Pasadena kept control in the fourth quarter, but barely. The posted leads of 54-52, 58-55, but each time VC clawed and scratched to find an answer. Aubri Smith had a key 3-pointer, and Zamora hit a pair of triples, and the Pirates managed to tie the score at 63 with 3:38 remaining, setting the stage for Aubri Smith's go-ahead lay-up.
But Pasadena would not be denied, hitting a long three and a pair of free throws to make the score 68-65 with 1:49 left. Ventura was unable to score for that point on, as the Lancers hit free throws down the stretch to seal the victory and move on.
Aubri Smith led VC with 18 points and five assists. White had 13 points and five rebounds while Zamora had 12 points and seven boards. Green scored in double-figures with 10 points to go along with seven dimes.
The early playoff loss brings a end to the careers of VC's largest sophomore class ever. The efforts of all the sophomores are not to be overlooked, either in the games or on the practice court. They all had vital contributions to the success of the team, even if it did not appear in the box score. The Pirates must now say goodbye to sophomores Shiloh Smith, Lexy Hinojosa, Aubri Smith, Felicia Magana, Carolyn Rufino, Makenna Murray, Marissa Hurtado, Amani White, Erin Ross, Tatum Maciel, and Brooke Zamora. They leave VC with a combined 52-10 mark with a pair of Western State Conference titles.
And so the torch is passed to freshmen Alex Kalmbach, Rhiana Dougan, Kyleesha Green, Mary Shirley and Sienna Brown, to continue the We Play Hard tradition. They along with the new Pirates will have the Eye of Tradition upon them in 2016-17.