WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lisa Marie Sanchez scored 23 points with seven assists while Cynthia Hernandez netted 20 points with six rebounds to lead the Pirates past East Los Angeles College 87-58 Sunday in the semifinals of the VC-Optimist Club Holiday Tournament at the Athletic Event Center. Meanwhile Brooke Dixon had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and Adrianna Vega had eight points and nine big boards for Ventura (14-3). Micaela Pericone-Kapp contributed 14 points to the effort.
The Huskies proved to be a worthy opponent in the early going, dominating the offensive boards with superior effort. The Pirates, who were missing leading rebounder Adrianne Sloboh due to illness, had trouble adjusting to East LA's speed and the Huskies held a 12-10 advantage with 13:26 remaining in the opening half. A 3-point play from Hernandez put Ventura ahead, and Vega's 3-pointer off of a Hernandez pass gave VC some breathing room, 16-12 a minute later. ELAC came back, however, tying the score at 16-16, but the Pirates seemed to stay a half step ahead. Two ties and three lead changes later, the Huskies held a 31-30 advantage on a 3-pointer with 4:11 on the clock.
A hard drive to the basket by Vega seemed to get the Pirates going, as they retook the lead, and closed the half on an 11-2 run. Hernandez converted a rare 4-point play with 2:49 on the clock, and Sanchez hit one of two free throws a minute later to answer a Husky basket. Sanchez then assisted field goals from Hernandez and Dixon in the final minute of play to give Ventura a 41-34 halftime advantage.
Ventura continued with the hot hand to begin the final period, outscoring ELAC 19-6 over the first 8:28 to put the game away. The Pirates used 49 seconds and grabbed three offensive rebounds on the first possession of the half before Sanchez hit a runner in the paint for two. A two-offensive rebound possession followed with Hernandez splashing a triple to make the score 46-34 1:19 into the half. Treys from Vega and Hernandez, a bucket by Dixon, and Sanchez free throws widened the advantage, as Dixon converted a Sanchez assist to make the score 60-40 with 11:32 remaining in the contest. The Pirates won going away, 87-58.
Ventura will take on Los Angeles Valley for the second time in 15 days in the tournament final on Monday Dec. 30 at 6:00 pm. Ventura posted an 80-58 victory in the championship of the LA Valley Tournament on Dec. 15 in Valley Glen. Other games Monday include Southwestern vs. Orange Coast at 2:00 pm in the consolation final and El Camino vs. East Los Angeles at 4:00 pm in the third place game.