W Basketball Rolls in Playoffs

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:  It did not take the Pirates very long to exorcise the ghosts of a year ago. After falling at home in their playoff opener in 2013, No. 1-seeded Ventura scored on four of their first five possessions Saturday night against No. 16 Santa Ana, en route to a dominating 95-52 victory over the Dons. All five starters scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Adrianna Vega's seven 3-pointers and 20 points from Cynthia Hernandez, including four triples. Lisa Marie Sanchez had 13 points with 11 assists, Adrianne Sloboh posted a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Brooke Dixon netted 19 points on 9-13 shooting as VC advances to the CCCAA SoCal Regional Semifinals against Orange Coast. VC will host the Pirates of the South on Wednesday March 5 at 7:00 pm.

The Pirates were hot from the start, as Hernandez turned a Sanchez assist into a transition 3-pointer of the first possession, and then completed a 3-point play on the second. Dixon assisted a lay-up by Sloboh and Sanchez assisted Dixon's first field goal as the Pirates jumped out to a 10-2 advantage three minutes into the game. Back-to-back treys from Hernandez and Vega started an 23-4 Pirate run midway through the period that ended with another Vega triple and a 38-13 Pirate lead at the 6:04 mark. Ventura closed the half with a flurry, scoring the final 16 points of the half over 2:30. Lexy Hinojosa finished the run with a steal and lay-up with less than a second left. Ventura led at halftime 56-18.

VC remained firmly in control over the final 20 minutes, building a 74-24 lead at the 13:37 mark on a pair of free throws from Sloboh. The Dons never got closer than 43 points the rest of the way as Ventura advanced 95-52.

The top-seeded VC Pirates (of the north) will host the No. 9 Pirates of the South from Orange Coast College on Wednesday March 5. tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Athletic Event Center. Fans who cannot make the game can hear it live online on the VC Women's Sports Network.