The VC men's basketball team had five players score in double figures and they shot 58 percent from the floor overall in defeating Antelope Valley 95-78 Saturday afternoon in the finale of the We Play Hard Tournament. Adrian McIntyre led the way with 23 points on 9-11 shooting, 4-6 from three, and Marcus Watson netted 20 for Ventura (2-1). Anthony Garza scored 16 with a team-high nine rebounds while Kai Johnson and Aaron Dawoodjee scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Garza hit a pair of field goals in the first two minutes, and McIntyre followed with a drive to the hoop as the Pirates opened up a 6-0 lead. Dawoodjee and McIntyre both hit from range after a Marauder bucket to make in 12-2 less than four minutes into the contest. AVC came back to within 14-8 before a field goal by Michael Noulowe and two three's from McIntyre made it 22-8 at the 11:00 mark.
After another McIntyre triple, Garza scored on a fast break dunk off a steal and assist by McIntyre. Garza was fouled hard, and AVC was hit with a flagrant foul. Garza made on of two free shots, and on the ensuing possession, Garza dunked again, giving him a 5-point possession and the Pirates a 30-10 advantage. Watson's drive and deuce extended the lead to 39-17, and Johnson's triple made it 42-19 with 6:16 remaining in the first half. McIntyre hit a lay-up, Johnson hit a charity shot, and Dawoodjee scored a lay-up as the margin swelled to 28 points, 47-19, with 4:31 on the clock. Dawoodjee hit another shot from beyond the arc and Johnson connected with another jumper and Ventura led 55-28 at halftime.
Ventura maintained its advantage through the first part of the second half, and Garza made a field goal at the 11:54 mark to give the Pirates their biggest lead, 73-44. At that point, Antelope Valley went on a 15-3 run over the next six minutes to close to within 74-59. Noulowe stopped the run with a lay-up, and Watson scored six of VC's next eight points to make it 86-63. Johnson hit another bucket, followed by a dunk from McIntyre to extend the lead back to 27 points, 90-63, with 3:01 remaining. Ventura rode the wave into the finish for the 95-78 victory.
Dawoodjee and Johnson each pulled in six rebounds in the game while McIntyre and Noulowe recorded five boards apiece. McIntyre also added three assists and a pair of steals.
Ventura returns to the court on Thursday Nov. 10 against Cerritos at the Irvine Valley Classic.