Community College men's basketball

No. 1 Citrus 56, No. 11 Ventura men 53: VC men take No. 1 Citrus to the limit by Joe Curley in Glendora

Click the jump for the VC-Citrus full, official box score.

East L.A. 66, Oxnard 62: Jonathan Johnson had 22 points. Marc Pajund and Nick Molina had 17 and 10 points, respectively. Three Condors players fouled out in a game that saw 53 fouls assessed. East L.A. was 22 of 34 from the free-throw line, while Oxnard was 15 of 26.
Records: Oxnard 7-10, East L.A. 7-11.

Sequoias 70, Moorpark 62: Raiders scored just 13 points in the first half and fall to 0-4 without head coach Remy McCarthy.
Records: Moorpark 10-6.

Community College women's basketball

Moorpark 61, L.A. Valley 50 Tiffany Hurd had 17 points, 20 rebounds and four assists for the host Raiders. Reyneisha Mays had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Record: Moorpark 8-9.

No. 1 Ventura 83, Compton 50 Kris King had a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds. King added four blocked shots and three steals. Chanelle Brennan had 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Donielle Griggs and Jessi Selleh added 12 points each. Michelle Santizo scored 10. Julie Heurung had nine points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
Records: Ventura 19-0, Compton 5-13.

College sports

Locals in College Notebook: Rasp developing into complete player by Rhiannon Potkey

From Star teammate Ivan Yeo:

Despite a halftime deficit, the Moorpark College women's basketball team will be 8-9 entering WSC North play this week as the Raiders defeated visiting Los Angeles Valley, 61-50, at Raider Pavilion Saturday night.

Tiffany Hurd led the Raiders with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Kristin Thomas and Reyneisha Mays added 14 points apiece.

Also:

-Moorpark scored first six points of the game
-Valley led at the half 27-25
-Moorpark led 43-39 when they ripped off a 12-1 run to lead 55-40.
-Valley got as close as seven, but couldn't get closer.

Note: Valley head coach Ruth Seja was not at the game, instead, assistant Shelton Boykin was the head coach (and no he didn't get thrown out).

Note: refresh for score updates:

Men's basketball

Non-conference
No. 1 Citrus 56, No. 11 Ventura men 53 FINAL
-- In order to defeat Ventura, the defending state champions and top-ranked Owls needed to pitch a shutout for the final 4:24.
-- Will Faiivae's dunk from Dee Pinkard and Anthony Burtley's buzzer-beating jumper pull VC even, 30-30, at the half at No. 1 and defending state champion Citrus.
-- Both teams have 12 fouls. Faiivae has a game-high 10 points and four rebounds at the half.
-- Randy Hunter's 3-point play knotted the game at 13-13 with 13:23 left in the first half and the Pirates went more than seven minutes without a field goal, falling behind 19-13.

Sequoias 70, Moorpark men 62 FINAL
-- Raiders scored just 13 points in the first half and fall to 0-4 without head coach Remy McCarthy.
East Los Angeles 66, Oxnard men 62 FINAL

Women's basketball

Non-conference
Moorpark 61, Los Angeles Valley 50 FINAL
No. 1 Ventura 83, Compton 50 FINAL

Four days before the start of Western State Conference play, the local community college basketball teams wrap up their non-conference campaigns tonight.

We'll be in Glendora for the No. 11 Ventura College men's basketball team's visit to No. 1 Citrus, the defending state champions. You can listen live at Homefield Sports.

We'll also have updates from the other games.

From Ventura College women's assistant basketball coach Robin Hester, the California Community College women's basketball coaches' association historian:

"Karen Welliver of Cerritos is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in California Community College women's basketball history.

She currently has 562 career wins in 27 seasons at Cerritos, one win behind Tom Martinez of San Mateo. If Cerritos can win Saturday night at Riverside, Coach Welliver will achieve career win No. 563 and tie Coach Martinez.

Following Saturday's game, the Falcons have games at home against Pasadena (Jan. 9) and Mt. SAC (Jan. 14) before heading to LA Southwest (Jan. 16) and returning home versus El Camino (Jan. 21).

Good luck Karen and to Cerritos as her team attempts to make her California's winningest community college women's basketball coach in history.

Congratulations are also in order for Gina Johnson of San Joaquin Delta who passed 400 wins, and Joe Peron of Pasadena who passed 300 career wins earlier this season."

Click the jump for the full list:

From Star teammate David Lassen:

Lydell Sargeant's view of the USC football team proved to be all too accurate.

Sargeant, the only Southern Californian on the Penn State roster - he played at Cabrillo High in Lompoc - talked earlier in the week about how he consistently spoke well of the Trojans during his time in State College, Pa.,

"I pump up all the USC guys when I was going through college because I know them," said Sargeant, who attended USC summer football camps and played in all-star games with some of the current Trojans.

"I've always said I think Mark (Sanchez) is the best quarterback I've ever seen personally."
And so, of course, Sanchez went out and completed 28 of 35 passes for 413 yards, tying a Rose Bowl record with four touchdown passes.

"Mark did a good job throwing to the receivers that were open and really reading our coverages," Sargeant said.

From Star teammate Bob Buttitta:

PASADENA -- For much of Thursday's Rose Bowl game, former local standouts Kevin Thomas, Josh Pinkard and Clay Matthews were all on the field playing for USC's top-rated defense.

There were many plays where Thomas, the former Rio Mesa standout, and Pinkard, who starred at Hueneme, were holding down the corners, while Mathews, who played at Agoura, was stalking the Penn State quarterback from his defensive end spot.

Thomas said it was a thrill to be part of a defense that many people have called the best college defensive unit in the country.

"It's great playing on a defense with such great success," Thomas said. "The caliber of athletes we have, it's definitely a blessing. I am thankful to be part of this until I'm sorry to see it come to an end. Hopefully, we can improve next year.

"We definitely made a statement tonight. We have been playing a lot of these Big Ten teams an for us to come out and be so successful I think it says something about the team we have the confidence we play with."

Quarterback Daryll Clark set a Penn State bowl record by passing for 273 yards, two less yards than Sanchez threw for in the first half.

Mark Sanchez completed 80 percent of his passes (27 of 35) Thursday afternoon to tie a Rose Bowl record for completion percentage.

Sanchez tied the mark set by Ira McKee of Navy in 1924. McKee completed 16 of 20 passes in a 14-14 tie with Washington

With his 45-yard scoring strike to Ronald Johnson early in the fourth quarter, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez tied the Rose Bowl record for single-game touchdown passes.

He's also joins Danny O'Neill (Oregon '95 vs. Penn State) and Ron Vander Kelen (Wisconsin '63 vs. USC) the third Rose Bowl quarter to throw for 400 or more yards in a Rose Bowl.

No quarterback has thrown for more touchdowns against Penn State in a bowl game.

Sanchez has completed 27 of 34 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns.

He's a 55-yard touchdown pass away from owning both the yardage and TD records.

Mark Sanchez threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, completing 18 of 23 passes, as USC raced out to a sturdy 31-7 halftime lead over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

So does this USC team deserve considering to win the Associated Press national championship?

Sanchez hits Damien Williams for 17 yards on third-and-12 from the Penn State 36 to improve to 6 for 8 on third down conversions.

The junior then hits David Ausberry with on a 19-yard scoring strike against the grain for a 24-7 USC lead.

Sanchez has completed 16 of 20 passes for 225 yards for two touchdown passes and a touchdown run.

USC running back Joe McKnight has left the game with a "toe sprain," according to an announcement in the press box.

His return is "questionable."

After Anthony McCoy was stopped for a 3-yard out on third-and-5 from the Penn State 15, USC kicker David Buehler shook off his Rose Bowl problems by converting a 30-yard field goal.

Buehler missed all three field goals he attempted here against UCLA last month.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez heats up for a 14-7 Trojans lead.

The junior completes passes of 15, 26 and 27 yards to three different receivers before finishing the drive himself with a 7-yard quarterback draw with 12:27 left in the first half.

These may be two of the Top 10 defenses in the country, but they've already combined to allow touchdown drives of 80, 80 and 86 yards.

Penn State responds to what could have been a pair of back-breaking penalties by tying the game.

Following the negation of Butler's 50-yard catch and run, Royster picked up 7 yards, Stephfon Green earned 16 on a textbook middle screen, Butler cut inside two defensive backs for 28 on a slant and Daryll Clark picked up the rest on a quarterback draw that tied the game, 7-7, with four seconds left in the first half.

Mr. Buttitta interjects, "a great drive by Clark, the quarterback."

Deon Butler rips off a 50-yard catch and run down the left sideline, across the grain and inside the USC 10-yard line.

But Butler's big-play was wiped out for an illegal shift. He started in motion before the rest of his teammates were set.

That's two monumental penalties in the first quarter against the Nittany Lions.

USC gets the first break as Penn State's All-American defensive end Aaron Maybin strip sacks Mark Sanchez on the Trojans' second possession.

But the turnover is negated by an offsides penalty on Maybin.

Six plays later, Damien Williams catches Sanchez's 27-yard scoring strike for a 7-0 USC lead.

Each offense goes three and out in its first possession. After three minutes, we're looking like that 3-0 Sun Bowl Oregon State and Pittsburgh gave us yesterday.

Maybe these two Top 10 defenses will dominate this Rose Bowl after all.

Update: Three possessions, three punts. "Only 17 away from the 20 punts in that (Sun Bowl) game the other day," adds Lassen.

The Star's three-man team of myself, David Lassen and Bob Buttitta are in place here at the Rose Bowl.

Mr. Buttitta points out that you can still see a hint of the Bruins logo under the USC end zone logo .

Mr. Lassen points out that the announced temperature is "the federally mandated 70 degrees."

I was impressed with the silent flyover from the Stealth Bomber, rather than the typical roaring varieties.