The Pirates' men's basketball team dropped a 67-57 decision to host Porterville on the first day of the Milt Stowe Classic Thursday. Ventura was unable to find its shooting touch against the Pirates of the Central Valley as Porterville led throughout the contest. Bo Dolinsek and Jeremiah Wilson led VC (5-5) with 21 and 17 points, respectively.
The Pirates shot 35 percent (21-60) from the floor for the game and connected on two of 12 3-point shot attempts. They also struggled at the foul line, hitting 13 of 22 shots in the contest. Porterville also outrebounded VC 45-36.
Elijah Brown and Dolinsek each pulled in nine rebounds to lead the Pirates and Wilson grabbed eight.
VC finished play in the crossover on Friday Nov. 22 against El Camino College at 5:00 pm.