Men's Basketballs Season Ends With Road Playoff Loss

The Ventura College men's basketball team had to wait to the last day of the season to earn their share of a Western State Conference North title and a playoff berth. Unfortunately, the Pirates season did not last beyond the opening round when they dropped a 66-59 contest to Cerritos. VC was paced offensively by standout Elijah Brown who scored 18 points. Jamal Lewis added in 18 points of his own.

Despite earning a share of the WSC North title the Pirates were seeded 20th to open the So Cal regional playoffs and faced a tough road test against Cerritos. The Pirates were tested early by the Falcons who ran off an early 8-0 run before Cordel Hankerson scored five points and helped the Pirates cut the deficit to 10-6 at the 13:40 mark.

Ventura stayed close to Cerritos throughout the early part of the first half, but Cerritos began to pull away in the waning moments of the first half. The Falcons took an eight point advantage with 1:12 to go at 33-25. The score stood at 35-26 entering half time. Ventura had been an offensive force coming down the stretch into the playoffs, but they were unable to find their rhythm in the first half of play. Cerritos hit on 50% of their shots in the first half while the Pirates were 23% from the field. Despite the shooting disparity VC was still well within range of a comeback if they were able to get their offense on track. 

Starting the second half the Pirates were able to get to within seven at the 15:2 mark on a two point bucket from Brown. VC though was not able to put a consistent offensive run together at any point in the game. Their struggles from the field continued throughout the second half and the closest the came to the Falcons was a six point deficit with 29.9 seconds to go in the game. 

Ventura for the game shot just 30% from the field which was a rarity for the Pirates down the stretch. The Pirates were able to win the battle on the boards and forced 11 Falcon turnovers including six steals in the game. Hankerson was the third Pirate to score in double digits finishing the game with 11 points. Jalon Wilson dished out three of the Pirates eight team assists. The 59 points was the lowest Pirate point total of the season which contributed to their early exit from the playoffs.

Ventura ends the season with a 19-10 overall record. They earned a share of the WSC North title with Moorpark College. The appearance in the So Cal regional playoffs was the first for the Pirates since 2013-14 season.