Host #8 Moorpark (18-5, 6-0) shot 56% in the second half to post a 102-91 victory over local rival #5 Ventura (19-6, 4-1) to not only end the Pirates' 34-game conference winning streak but take over first place in the WSC-North for the first time since 2001.
There was a packed house for the most-anticipated game of the season in the WSC-North, as the two schools separated by about 20 miles of highway 118 put their undefeated division records on the line. Ventura hadn't lost a WSC-North game since 2003, and hadn't lost to Moorpark since 2001.
And for most of the first half, it looked like Ventura would continue its streak. PF Danny Mena and Ctr Danny Tavares dominated play as the Pirates took a 10-point lead at 42-32 and still held that lead at 50-40 as the clock approached one minute to play in the half. For the first half, Mena totalled 17 points and 8 rebs while Tavares had 9 pts and 10 boards.
But in the first half's final minute, Moorpark got back into the game. First, PG Keith Lawrence made a free throw with 1:01 left to make it 50-41. Then, after each team failed to score, Moorpark SF Ivan Barragan sank a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in the half. Moreover, he was fouled on the play, and made the resulting free throw to close the gap to 5 points at 50-45 at intermission.
In the second half, Ventura continued to lead but their margin would never approach 10 points again. And just a few minutes into the half, Moorpark took its first lead since 2-0 on a steal & basket by PF Brandon Dempster that made it 59-58 Raiders.
The lead went back and forth for the next few minutes, with the game's last tie coming after Moorpark Ctr David McGrath scored on a putback to even things at 71. Then PF Josh Rivera scored to put Moorpark back on top, 73-71.
At that point, SF Mark Wells was just 3-for-14 on the night with only one three to his credit. But as good shooters do, he kept on shooting. And that would prove to be the difference in the game.
Wells' made his next four shots, and they were all three-pointers. His next three pushed Moorpark's lead to 5 at 76-71 with exactly 9 minutes left in the game. After and exchange of baskets, Wells drained another three to make it 81-73. A little while later, he hit another three to push the Moorpark lead to 11 at 86-75. And his final three of the night came moments later to make it 89-76. Ventura never got the lead back into single digits again.
The Pirates still had over 3 minutes left, but the closest they would get was 10 points. A runner by SF Charles Dillon made it 94-84, and after a lay-up by Moorpark's Lawrence, Tavares scored to again make it a 10-point game at 96-86 with 1:49 left.
But that would be the end of the rally. SG Tyler Carr scored on a long pass from Dempster to make it 98-86, and then Mena fouled out for Ventura. By the time Barragan and Carr each made a free throw to push the Raiders to the 100-point mark, the victory was secure.
For Moorpark, five players scored in double digits, led by Wells, who had 21. Lawrence added 19 plus 7 asts, and Barragan had 16. McGrath and Carr each had 13; McGrath also grabbed a team-high 8 rebs.
For Ventura, Mena was a force with 30 pts (on 13-of-16 shooting) and 15 rebs. Tavares did most of his damage in the first half but still managed 15 pts and 13 boards. PG Kenji Rocket came off the bench to add 11 pts, 3 asts and 3 steals. And Dillon also scored 10 pts and dished out a game-high 8 asts. But it was a rough game for Dillon, arguably Ventura's most important player. He shot just 4-for-16 and committed 10 turnovers on the night.
And though Moorpark plays an unconventional style, the win was reflected in some pretty conventional statistics. The Raiders don't normally shoot for a high percentage - they try to make it up with volume - but shot 56% in the second half and 50% for the game. And despite playing a pressure style and giving up a lot of size to Ventura, they were outrebounded just 23-20 in the second half. Plus, the Raiders normally try to create a lot of turnovers but usually commit a fair number as well with their fast-paced style. Tonight they forced 34 Ventura turnovers, but committed just 10 themselves (about average for a JC game).
box score
Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 7:30 pm
at Moorpark College
WSC-North
Ventura Pirates 91:
2-Trevor Breland, PG - 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 4 pts
4-Danny Tavares, C - 7/12 fg, 1/2 ft, 13 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 15 pts
5-Charles Dillon, SF - 4/16 fg, 2/5 ft, 4 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 10 pts
15-David Van Someren, SG - 3/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 8 pts
25-Danny Mena, PF - 13/16 fg, 4/6 ft, 15 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 5 pf, 30 pts
10-Kenji Rocket, G - 4/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 4 pf, 11 pts
12-Hylas Smith, G - 1/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 ast, 1 pf, 3 pts
33-Brandon Dixon, F - 1/1 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 4 pts
20-Anthony Pimble, F - 3/4 fg, 2 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 6 pts
11-Andre Jamerson, G - 0/1 fg, 1 stl, 2 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 38/71 fg (.535), 14/21 ft (.667), 49 reb, 23 ast, 3 blk, 10 stl, 26 pf, 91 pts
3-pt fg (1): Rocket
Fouled Out: Mena 1:14
Turnovers (34): Dillon 10, Van Someren 6, Breland 4, Rocket 4, Pimble 3, Tavares 2, Mena 2, Smith 2, Dixon
Moorpark Raiders 102:
2-Tyler Carr, SG - 5/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 13 pts
5-Keith Lawrence, PG - 6/12 fg, 6/8 ft, 1 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 19 pts
15-Mark Wells, SF - 7/18 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 21 pts
23-Josh Rivera, PF - 3/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
42-David McGrath, C - 6/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 2 pf, 13 pts
1-Ryan Dempster, F - 2/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
10-Mike Hayes, C - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 3 pf, 0 pts
22-Ivan Barragan, F - 5/8 fg, 5/10 ft, 2 reb, 1 pf, 16 pts
4-Robert Vega, G - 2/3 fg, 4 reb, 1 blk, 2 pf, 4 pts
20-Caise Burris, G - 0/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 pf, 1 pt
32-Terry Johnson, C - 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 36/72 fg (.500), 21/32 ft (.656), 31 reb, 14 ast, 2 blk, 13 stl, 21 pf, 102 pts
3-pt fg (9): Wells 5, Lawrence, Rivera, Dempster, Barragan
Turnovers (20): Carr 6, Barragan 6, Dempster 3, Lawrence, Wells, Rivera, McGrath, Vega
Halftime Score: Ventura 50, Moorpark 45
Updated Records: Moorpark 18-5, 6-0 in WSC-N; Ventura 19-6, 4-1 in WSC-N
This ends Ventura's 34-game WSC-N win streak
