Dayshone Henry scored 32 points with 14 rebounds and Dayveon Bates had 28 points with 11 boards as the Pirates' men's basketball team came back from a 10 point deficit in the second half to claim a 106-94 victory over Antelope Valley in overtime in the finale of the We Play Hard Tournament. Thomas Dangerfield netted 15 points as Ventura (2-1) outscored the Marauders 18-6 in the extra period for the win.
The first 10 minutes of the game were played even, with Bates hitting a 3-pointer to give VC a 13-12 edge with 12:18 remaining in the first half. AVC came right back to retake the lead and they built a 22-18 lead before Timothy Turner's triple pulled VC back to within one. Bates had a 3-point play at the 6:08 mark to make it 33-30 for the Marauders before Antelope Valley went on an 8-0 run to open a double-digit advantage. Jonathan Montesinos made a triple and Bates scored on a lay-up in the final minute of the half as the Pirates trailed 45-39 at intermission.
Henry had a steal and lay-up, followed by Dangerfield's theft that led to a Turner deuce and VC quickly closed the gap to begin the second half. AVC responded in kind, however, jumping back out to a 57-47 advantage at the 16:51 mark of the second period. Bates ended the Marauder run with a trey, and Henry's two and Montesinos' three pulled VC back to within six, 61-55. The deficit remained around six for the next nine minutes of game time with Antelope Valley beating back every Pirate charge. However, two charity shots by Donavan Williams and a triple by Dangerfield gave the Pirates a 76-74 lead with 6:40 remaining in regulation. The teams battled to the wire, with VC taking a 4-point edge, 87-83, on two free throws by Bates and a made jumper by Turner. AVC came back, however, tying the score at 88 with 41 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.
Ventura dominated the extra time, scoring the first seven points of the period. Bates made a three followed by two from Kingston Williams. Henry's lay-up with 3:34 on the clock gave VC a 95-88 edge, one the Pirates rode through to the final.
Montesinos finished the game with nine points on three 3-pointers and Turner netted eight for the victors. The Pirates shot nearly 51 percent from the floor, 38-75, and won the rebounding battle 43-37.
Ventura returns to the hardwoods on Wednesday Nov. 6 at Riverside City College. Tip-off with the Tigers is scheduled for 6:00 pm.