Ventura Races Past Pierce For Team Win

The Pirates' women's basketball team raced to a 10-2 lead barely three minutes into the game with all five starters recording a field goal in their 77-33 rout of Los Angeles Pierce Saturday in Woodland Hills. Alisha Cruz-Lisberg hit her first seven shots of the contest to post a team-high 16 points while Kenya Edelhart totaled 10 points with six steals and six assists and Kylie Gallick netted 10 with six rebounds. Every Pirate who played scored in the team win for VC (14-5, 3-1).

Ventura's fast start led to a 14-2 lead when Sofia Torres-Reyes converted a lay-up off an assist by Jocelyn Contreras with 5:24 on the clock. The Brahmas scored back-to-back buckets before VC closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, including a fast break lay-up by Alexis Howery, two free throws from Tiernan Phillips and a steal and lay-up by Edelhart.

VC's run continued in the second quarter as they netted 11 more unanswered points to stretch the run to 17-0. Gallick started the period cashing in a dime from Torres-Reyes and Edelhart had another steal and bucket.Cruz-Lisberg scored going to the basket and Edelhart assisted a Contreras three before Phillips finished a steal by Jasmine Glover and a pass by Contreras for a 31-6 margin with 5:03 on the clock. Late in the half, Talitha Draper got a steal defensively that led to a pair of free throws by Glover with two seconds remaining. The Pirates led at intermission 41-17.

Cruz-Lisberg started off the second half right with back-to-back scores, followed by a steal and lay-up by Gallick, who also scored inside on the next possession to stretch the Pirate advantage to 49-17. Midway through the period, Torres-Reyes rained down a three and Cruz-Lisberg scored two more buckets to make it a 37-point game, 60-23.  Ventura's offense went cold from the remainder of the period, however, and VC led 60-24 at the quarter break.

The Pirate bench played the vast majority of the minutes in the final stanza with Dani Henley hitting a shot from range to make it 65-28. Draper scored a bucket and a free throw and Howery netted two off an assist by Alina Olivo to move the lead north of 40. Draper then hit for six straight points before Olivo made one of two free throws on VC's next to last possession to complete the 77-33 win. 

Torres-Reyes scored nine points in the game and grabbed four steals with three assists. Draper also netted nine while Contreras scored seven with four dimes. Olivo handed out five assists in the game and pulled in five boards.

Ventura next visits Santa Barbara on Wednesday Jan. 18 for a 5:00 pm game against the Vaqueros.