VC Wins ToC Over Canyons

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:  The Pirates' women's basketball team used a solid second half performance to pull away from College of the Canyons and win the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions, 85-59 Sunday at the Athletic Event Center. Tournament MVP Lisa Marie Sanchez had 21 points with nine assists while All-Tournament selection Adrianne Sloboh pulled in a career-best 20 rebounds to go along with 15 points in the win. Cynthia Hernandez had an efficient game with 19 points while taking just 11 shots for Ventura (5-1).

Ventura took control early holding the Cougars without a point for the first 3:17 on the game. Meanwhile, Hernandez took the opening tip, drove to the paint, and connected on a pull-up jumper just seconds into the contest. A pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from Sanchez followed, along with another Hernandez deuce and Ventura led 9-0. Canyons then began a slow and arduous comeback that would last throughout the rest of the half, but not before the VC lead extended to as many as 12 points on Makayla Morrison's 3-pointer at the 12:33 mark, 23-11. The Cougars hit seven triples in the first 20 minutes and closed the gap to 38-37 in the closing seconds of the period before Sanchez drew a foul and connected for a pair of charity tosses with 3.4 seconds remaining, giving the Pirates a 40-37 halftime lead.

In the second half, VC slowly and methodically began to pull away from CoC. The Pirates scored the period's first 13 points, and limited the Cougars to just one field goal for nearly 10 minutes. By the time canyons hit their second basket of the half, a 3-pointer with 10:31 on the clock, VC held a decisive 58-42 advantage. Adrianna Vega answered the triple with a trey of her own on the next possession, and the Pirates went on a 11-3 run over the next five minutes to put the game out of reach. When Sanchez hit a runner with 5:39 on the clock, the Pirates held a 72-45 lead. The Pirates cruised in for the 85-59 victory and the tournament championship.

Brooke Dixon hit for double figures for the Pirates with 10 points and four rebounds. Sanchez added to her MVP resume with seven boards in the contest. Sloboh became just the fifth player in school history to grab 20 rebounds in a game. The tournament championship was Ventura's sixth in the 16 years of the event and their fourth in the last six years.

The Pirates travel north to Visalia on Thursday Dec. 5 where they will take on Solano College in the opening round of the Tom Gilcrest Invitational at the College of the Sequoias at 6:00 pm in the college's old gymnasium. VC will spend four days at the tournament.