Pirate Men Drop Heartbreaker in Closing Seconds

The VC men's basketball team battled back from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes of play, only to see Moorpark sink a pair of free throws in the final seconds in the Pirates' 72-71 loss against the Raiders Saturday at the Athletic Event Center. Reese Widerburg netted 18 points to lead VC (12-13, 5-4) and Carter Alexander scored 15. Dominik Contreras, Landreau Tate and Caleb Gilbert all had key scores in the final minutes in the Pirate effort.

The game wa a close contest from the start. Tate hit a bucket with 16:18 on the clock to put the Pirates ahead 7-3, and VC maintained the lead until the Raiders tied the score at 11 three minutes later. Carter nailed a triple on the next possession to keep the Pirates ahead, but six straight points by Moorpark turned the tables. Gilbert connected with a three at the 8:14 mark for a 21-19 Ventura margin before MC went on an 8-1 run to hold a bit of control. VC trailed 31-28 at halftime.

The Raiders continued to lead the game well into the final half, but the Pirates remained close. Vernon Henry made a pair of foul shots at the 13:46 mark to pull VC to within 39-38, and Contreras' charity shots maintained the close margin two minutes later. Just after the mid-point of the period, Moorpark began to pull away, however, and a 3-point play with 6:10 on the clock pushed the Raider advantage to 60-50.

After a Moorpark timeout, Widerburg made a 3-pointer from Alexander's assist on the next possession, and Gilbert followed with a pair of free throws. Widerburg followed with a mid-range jumper to complete the 7-0 Ventura run with 4:52 remaining. The teams exchanged scores over the next three minutes before Contreras delivered a big three to knot the score at 66 with 1:59 left. Tate's old-fashioned 3-point play put Ventura ahead 69-68 in the final minute, but the Raiders were able to turn the tables with two free throws on the next trip up the floor. With Ventura down by one, Gilbert hit a close shot with five seconds remaining to put the Pirates back ahead, 71-70. There was too much time remaining, however, and Moorpark was able to go the length of the floor and draw a foul with two seconds on the clock, hitting both charity shots to steal the win.

Gilbert finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds while Contreras, Henry and Tate all posted eight-point games. Henry also dished out four assists and pulled in five boards and Tate also had five caroms. 

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday Feb. 14 at Los Angeles Pierce.