Women's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 76, Cuesta 37 FINAL
Moorpark 62, Hancock 47 FINAL
Santa Barbara 40, Oxnard 36 2ND 9:28

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 70, Cuesta 66 FINAL
-- For the sixth time in seven games, Danny Benson scores a team-high 16 points with three steals. Dee Pinkard had 12 points and Randy Hunter added 11 points for Ventura, which pulled into a first-place tie with Cuesta with the win. Cuesta, which only made 8-of-17 free throws, was led by 26 points by Tom Schumacher. Joe Ayarza was held to 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting.
-- Mike Diacos' two free throws gives VC a 67-64 lead with 14.8 seconds left.
-- Two Danny Benson free throws gives Ventura 65-64 lead with 1:51 to play.
-- Schumacher and Ayarza both miss a pair of free throws. The referees are asking the fans to stop blowing an artificial noisemaker in the stands.
-- Two Pinkard free throws pulls VC within 64-63 with 2:45 to play.
-- Hunter ties the game with a 3-point play, 52-52 with 11 to play.
-- Prince Abidoye's putback with 14 minutes to play gives Ventura its first lead of the game, 45-44. VC has outscored Cuesta 26-10 since falling behind
-- Tom Schumacher had a game-high 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting in the first half. Ayarza and Muller also had 8 points apiece. None of Ventura's nine scorers had more than four points. VC was 10 of 23 shooting in the first half with 12 turnovers.
-- Cuesta's lead peaks at 34-19, but Ventura responds with a 11-0 run on Harris and Abidoye jumpers in the lane and Jeremiah Slowik's 3-pointer from the right corner.
-- Mike Diacos and Eric Gray hit 3-pointer to pull Ventura within 15-10, but Cuesta responded with a 9-2 run to build a 24-12 lead with eight minutes left in the first half. Ventura made just 4 of its first 13 field goals with eight turnovers in the first 11 minutes.
-- Cuesta raced out to a 9-0 lead as Ventura missed its first seven shots from the field

Oxnard 74, Santa Barbara 71 FINAL
-- David Lane misses a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Vaqueros.
-- Matt Dewaal, Marc Pajund and Nick Molina all foul out for the Condors.
--

Moorpark 66, Hancock 58 FINAL
-- Three days after leaving with a wrist injury against Oxnard, Dwight Jones scores 31 points on 4-of-9 3-point shooting and 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line.

You can hear the Ventura College basketball doubleheader at Cuesta College today on KKZZ AM 1400 and HomefieldSports.com.

With its two Bay Area clubs, the San Francisco Seals and San Jose Frogs, not fielding teams this season, the Premier Development League has replaced them within two teams from Utah, the BYU Cougars and the Ogden Outlaws.

Which means the 10-team Southwest Division looks like this:

Bakersfield Brigade, BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, Lancaster Rattlers, Los Angeles Storm, Ogden Outlaws, Orange County Blue Star, San Fernando Valley Quakes, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion

"The Bay Area is a tough market," Seals general manager Tom Simpson told the club's official website, OurSFSeals.com. "Like the Frogs, we just had a tough time finding enough support. Ticket sales covered less than 5% of the expenses in 2008.

"While we had reasonable relationships with some of the youth clubs and had some good turnout with club fundraisers, the consistency just wasn't there. In addition, I don't believe the current PDL format is that good of a fit for college players who cannot commit to the team until too late."

A little more than three months before its third Premier Development League season kicks off, the Ventura County Fusion men's soccer team has plenty of time to full out its 28-player roster.

But the Fusion have already held two tryout sessions and have 11 players confirmed to return to the team, according to general manager Ranbir Shergill.

The 11 returning players include Gurgen Adzemian, Arturo Aghasyan, Dylan Barna, Joe Buppert, Danny Barerra, Bryan Byrne, Hagop Chirishian, Armondo Guerrero, Patrick McLain, Guilherme Mitrovitch and Anton Peterlin

Shergill confirmed that neither of the two goalkeepers, Logan Frank or Bryan Hill, who backstopped consecutive third-place finishes in the Southwest Division will return.

It is a big blow to a team that conceded a Western Conference-low 14 goals in 2008.

Ahead of its third season in USL Soccer's Premier Development League, the Ventura County Fusion men's soccer team has announced a schedule of seven friendlies against professional and international opposition.

The opposition includes MLS clubs Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders and Chivas USA, Japanese cup holders Oita Trinita, Chinese Super League champion Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C., and Swedish clubs GAIS Gothenburg and Hammarby.

Feb. 8 Real Salt Lake, Buena High, 5 p.m.
Feb. 11 Seattle Sounders, Buena High, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 Oita Trinita, Home Depot Center
Feb. 16 GAIS Gothenburg, Buena High, 7 p.m.
Feb. 21 Hammarby, Home Depot Center
March 1 Charity game at College of the Canyons vs. Chivas USA (Michael Hoefflin cancer foundation)
Unknown Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. (private game)

"Fans can pre-purchase special 3-game admission packages to all the exhibition games (adult $25, youth $20, family pack [2 adult & 2 youth] $80) or pay by the game (adult $10, youth $8, family pack [2 adult & 2 youth] $30). Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.vcfusion.com; at the Ventura County Fusion Office, 701 E. Santa Clara St., Suite #42, Ventura, CA 93001; and at Xtreme Soccer, 23777 N. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93036. Tickets purchased at the games will be available at $15 for adults and $10 for youth." -- VCFusion.com

Ventura County soccer fans can look forward to a treat next week as two teams from Major League Soccer will set up preseason training camp at Oxnard College Monday.

Real Salt Lake, which saw its Cinderella 2008 season end in the Western Conference finals, and enthusiastic expansion franchise Seattle Sounders

Both teams will train in Oxnard until Feb. 14.

Four-time Swedish champion GAIS of Gotheberg will arrive Feb. 6 and also train until Valentine's Day.

Chinese Super League champions Shandong Luneng Taishan is also expected to arrive next week.

All four teams will play friendlies in February against the Ventura County Fusion, which defeated the Columbus Crew last February, 1-0, on a goal by Oxnard College striker Sergio Garcia.

The Crew went on the raise the MLS Cup.

"The preparation that they had in Ventura (County) helped them go on and win the league," said Fusion general manager Ranbir Shergill.

Moorpark opens this weekend in the Bakersfield tournament, leading off at 4:30 p.m. today against Irvine Valley and face Sequoias Saturday afternoon and Long Beach City Sunday morning.

The Raiders return their entire starting infield of first baseman Daniel Payne, second baseman Harrison Kain, shortstop Jonathan Villareal and third baseman Daniel Nimoy.

"The question mark is our pitching because we don't have any returning starting pitching," said coach Mario Porto.

The bullpen, however, will be packed by heralded Royal High product Cliff Quick, who will also play some infield.

Moorpark's early season schedule is brutal.

"I like throwing guys in the fire," said Porto.

Baseball season has barely started, and it's already coming down to the final innings.

The Oxnard College baseball team allowed two runs in the home half of the ninth inning Wednesday to drop its season opener, 10-9, at Los Angeles Mission.

"Where's Brok Butcher?" asked Oxnard coach Jon Larson jokingly, invoking the name of the Condors old star closer.

Freshman Joey Ramirez, subbing in for injured all-conference outfielder Tyler Bevan, cracked a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday as the Ventura College baseball team won its season opener, 6-5, against No. 19-ranked Cerro Coso.

"Good to see the freshmen contributing," said Ventura coach Don Adams.

Opening weekend in the Bash at the Beach tournament continues this weekend. Sophomore starter Blair Walters gets the ball as Ventura visits Western State Conference rival Santa Barbara City at 10 a.m. and Oxnard hosts Victor Valley at 2 p.m.

"It'll be a clue about where we stand," said Adams.

The two local rivals will face each other 2 p.m. Saturday at Oxnard College, after hosting 10 a.m. home games.

Hancock's win over the Ventura College men's basketball team was the Bulldogs first win over Ventura in nine years -- since Feb. 8, 2000, which was Greg Winslow's first trip to Santa Maria as VC head coach.

The Pirates had beaten Hancock 16 straight games.

Isaiah Thomas had 27 points for Ventura and Desmond Penigar added 21 points and 10 rebounds in that 70-64 loss to Hancock. Ventura had a chance to cut the deficit to two points with 24 seconds to go but missed a layup.

It was also Hancock's second on-court win over Ventura in 20 years.

The Pirates previous loss on the court to the Santa Maria school was 107-95 in the Los Angeles Valley tournament during the 1989-90 season. Hancock was not in the WSC from 1988-89 to 1993-94.

Hancock College men's basketball coach Ralph Gorton on beating Ventura, in the Santa Maria Times:

"It's probably been about 20 years since Hancock beat Ventura," Bulldogs coach Ralph Gorton said. "It's long overdue. There was a nice home crowd here."

"This was a great victory. Particularly for the community. Not just the basketball community but for the Hancock College community."

In fact, it was only the Bulldogs second on-court win over Ventura in 20 years.

Community college men's basketball

Oxnard 71, Moorpark 65: Oxnard not going away by Joe Curley in Oxnard

Cuesta 54, L.A. Pierce 48: Cougars rally to avoid upset by Donovan Aird, San Luis Obispo Tribune

Hancock 64, Ventura 59: Santa Maria Times roundup

Joe White Gymnasium has now bitten both the teams that entered the first round of the first rotation of WSC North play in first place. Hancock, which spent the first five games of the WSC North campaign in the basement, climbed out of last place with a home defeat of Ventura, which crashed out of first place. The Pirates now must win at first-place Cuesta Saturday or fall two games back with four to play. Meanwhile, Moorpark fell into a three-way knot for third place with Oxnard and Santa Barbara. Pierce sits alone at the bottom despite playing first-place Cuesta close.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 20-8 5-1
Ventura 19-7 4-2
Moorpark 13-9 3-3
Oxnard 10-13 3-3
Santa Barbara 11-15 3-3
Hancock 7-15 2-4
L.A. Pierce 7-14 1-5

Wednesday's results
Hancock 64, No. 17 Ventura 59
Oxnard 71, Moorpark 65
Cuesta 54, L.A. Pierce 48

Saturday's schedule
Ventura at Cuesta, 5 p.m.
Moorpark at Hancock, 5 p.m.
Santa Barbara at Oxnard, 5 p.m.

The first rotation through WSC North play has top-ranked Ventura in firm control of its 19th straight conference title. The Pirates are unbeaten, hold a two-game lead and have never lost more than one game in WSC North play under head coach Ned Mircetic. Wednesday's wins by Pierce and Moorpark create a three-way knot for second place with Santa Barbara. Oxnard leads the bottom three, above Cuesta and Hancock

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 25-0 6-0
Santa Barbara 18-10 4-2
L.A. Pierce 18-8 4-2
Moorpark 12-11 4-2
Oxnard 7-15 2-4
Cuesta 6-18 1-5
Hancock 2-20 0-6

Wednesday's results
Ventura 88, Hancock 28
Moorpark 41, Oxnard 38
L.A. Pierce 88, Cuesta 56

Saturday's schedule
Ventura at Cuesta, 7 p.m.
Moorpark at Hancock, 7 p.m.
Santa Barbara at Oxnard, 7 p.m.

The No. 1-ranked Ventura College women's basketball team improved to 25-0 Wednesday night with a 88-28 win at Hancock in Santa Maria.

Host Hancock hasn't posted its half of the box score yet, but the Pirates' coaching staff has completed its half of the box score.

Click the jump for the official statistics:

Host Hancock hasn't posted its statistics from its win over the Ventura College men's basketball team Wednesday night, but the Pirates' coaching staff has.

Click the jump for the VC half of the box score:

After falling a game behind first-place Cuesta in the WSC North with Wednesday's loss at Hancock, the Ventura College men's basketball team will face a must-win game Saturday night against Cuesta in San Luis Obispo, or risk falling two games off the pace with four to play.

Although head coach Ned Mircetic, still fuming from Wednesday night's loss, had a slightly different perspective:

"It becomes a must-play-well game. Winning and losing isn't the motivating factor of my basketball life. It's about playing hard and executing all the team and individual fundamentals that we teach.

"We didn't do that tonight, we didn't do that the first time against Cuesta, we didn't do it in the first half of the Pierce game."

Whatever it is, the Pirates are going to have to do it Saturday.

In the wake of the 64-59 loss at Hancock Wednesday night that knocked it out of first place in the WSC North, the Ventura College men's basketball team can expect some changes in practice today:

"I'm going to talk to the team about making some changes in the starting lineup, because we haven't been getting off to a fast, hard start," said head coach Ned Mircetic Wednesday night. "That'll be part of our discussion in practice (this afternoon).

Ventura has started point guard Dee Pinkard, guard Eric Gray, guard Danny Benson, forward Anthony Burtley and center Will Faiivae for much of the season.

"The inconsistency in the starting five is forcing my hand to make changes," said Mircetic. "I'm not pleased at all with how the first two, three, four minutes of the game (have been)."

"I can't depend on what we have right now and this time of year, I should be able to depend on some things with absolute certainty."

Benson scored 13 points Wednesday to lead the team for the fifth time in six games and Pinkard added 11 points. But Gray was 1 of 7 from 3-point line in totaling five points and Faiivae, mired in foul troubled, was shut out, 0 for 2 from the field with five turnovers.

"I think I know what the problem is and I'm going to give it a good look in practice (this afternoon)," said Mircetic. "I don't understand how you can be at game No. 6 in league, the end of the first round, and we don't come out and kick somebody's (butt). Even if we don't do it, we come out with that intent and we execute it.

"It's late in the year, but it is what it is. As long as you have a breath in you, you look to make adjustments, whether they are subtle changes in footwork or sweeping changes in the lineup. We're going to be looking at all options.

"I can't deal with getting off to slow starts like that, game in, game out... I'm going to look at shaking things up a little."

Faiivae, who averages 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, was shut out for the first time all season after picking up two quick fouls and sitting the remaining 17 minutes of the first half. He had been held to single digits once in the previous eight games.

"He got one cheap foul and one regular Will foul," said Mircetic. "We need him rebounding, we need him on defense, we need him on multiple fronts. For him to be in foul trouble necessitates adjustments to the lineup that I don't want to make at that time."

Asked to explain his team's 64-59 loss at Hancock Wednesday night, Ventura College men's basketball coach Ned Mircetic didn't mince words:

"We didn't play well. We played poorly. We didn't defend with any sense of purpose for a great majority of the game.

"I don't want to take anything from Hancock. They played well. They played hard. They were disciplined in what they did. For a team that's in the bottom third of the league, they played like the game had meaning to them."

Hancock had also upset Cuesta earlier this month at Joe White Gymnasium, so the Pirates could scarcely be excused for overlooking the Bulldogs.

"We knew that going in... and we still let them get up on us early in the game."

Hancock led 11-6 early and, after Ventura tied the game 18-18, used a 7-0 run to build a 33-28 halftime lead.

Click the jump for the Moorpark College at Oxnard College men's and women's basketball box scores from Wednesday night.

Tiffany Hurd had 14 points and Kristin Thomas made two free throws to break a tie with 41.7 seconds to play as the Moorpark College women's basketball team survived host Oxnard, 41-38.

Four days after its double overtime upset of Santa Barbara City, the Raiders (12-11) approved to 4-2 in WSC North play to move into a second-place tie with the Vaqueros.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Stephanie Hernandez and Shaniqua Perkins gave Oxnard (7-15, 2-4) a 38-35 lead with 2:20 to play.

But Moorpark avoided the let down by scoring the last six points of the game.

"Between last game and this game, we're finding a way to pull it out at the end," said Moorpark coach Lindsay Goldblatt. "We're learning how to finish games."

Women's basketball

WSC North

No. 1 Ventura 88, Hancock 28 FINAL
Updates from veteran journalist Jessi Selleh in Santa Maria:
-- Griggs to Santizo to Heurung to Griggs for a transition layup and a 25-7 VC lead after 10 minutes.
-- Amanda Padilla converts her steal into a layup at 10:48.
-- Kris King scores inside from Erika Ward for a 21-5 VC lead with 11:37 left in the half.
-- Griggs coverts a Ward steal into a 3-pointer at 12:19
-- Chanelle Brennan's steal is coverted by Julie Herung for an early 13-3 lead.
-- VC scores the first nine points in Santa Maria.

Moorpark 41, Oxnard 38 FINAL
-- Oxnard guard Stephanie Hernandez tied the game at 35-35 with 3:30 to play.
-- Oxnard led 17-16 at the half.
Pierce at Cuesta, 7 p.m.

Men's basketball

WSC North

Hancock 64, No. 17 Ventura 59 FINAL
Updates from cub journalist Pepe Araujo in Santa Maria:
-- One week after knocking off first-place Cuesta at home, Hancock knocks of first-place Ventura at home. Ventura center Will Faiivae, suffering from foul trouble, did not score.
-- Hunter's 3-point play pull VC within 55-50 with 1:45 to play.
-- Burtley's jumper pulls VC within 35-33 early second half.
-- Ventura trails 33-28 at the half. Benson has a team-high eight points and Harris has seven points.
-- Eric Gray's 3-pointer pulls VC within 31-27 with two minutes left in the half.
-- Randy Hunter's jumper pulls VC within 25-20 with six minutes left in the half.
-- Hancock's 7-0 give puts VC down 25-18 with seven minutes left in the half.
-- Abidoye 3-pointer ties the game, 18-18, with eight minutes left.
-- Back-to-back dunks by Prince Abidoye and Jordan Harris pull VC within 16-15.
-- In his return home, Lompoc High product Anthony Burtley pulls VC within 11-8 with his first bucket.
-- Will Faiivae picks up two fouls in the first five minutes.
-- Danny Benson scores Ventura's first six points as the Pirates are even, 6-6.
-- We'll have updates from Pepe Araujo in Santa Maria

Oxnard 71, Moorpark 65 FINAL
-- Matt Dewaal had 28 points and seven blocks.
-- Bowman's 3-pointer pulls Moorpark within 53-52 with 10 minutes left.
-- Dewaal scores seven straight points to push Oxnard ahead, 42-40, with 18 minutes to play.
-- A late 7-0 run spurred by Bowman's trey gives Moorpark a 38-35 halftime lead. Oxnard's Matt Dewaal has a game-high 12 points.
-- Dewaal's 3-point play is matched by Braylin Bowman's 3-pointer to keep Moorpark up 34-33 with 51 seconds
-- Two Chris Booker free throws pulls Moorpark even, 21-21, with 5:52 left in the half.
-- A Johnson free throw gives OC a 13-0 run and a 16-11 lead with 11:41 left in the half.
-- A runner and a 3-pointer by Jonathan Johnson pulled OC within 11-8 after six minutes.
-- Moorpark jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Justin Taylor's 3-pointer four minutes into play.
-- Trouble with the phone line and sound system at Oxnard College may mean a blackout inside and outside the gym. No PA coverage. Radio coverage is still trying to connect.

Cuesta 54, Pierce 48

The Moorpark College at Oxnard College men's basketball game will be broadcast live on KVTA 1520 AM Ventura and KKZZ 1400 AM Fillmore, as well as over the internet at HomefieldSports.com.

The spring season arrived Tuesday with two road wins by two of the county's softball teams.

Brittany Alfino went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases, Jamie Yaller went 4 for 5. Taylor Neumann went 2 for 4 with two doubles as the Moorpark College softball team opened the season with a 7-2 win over host Rio Hondo Tuesday afternoon

Pitchers Bonnie Ward and Kelly Eder combined for five strikeouts and allowed two hits and two runs for Moorpark (1-0).

Demi Meza hit a home run in the fifth inning and Courtney Checky allowed three hits, three walks and struck out three in a complete game effort as the Oxnard College softball team defeated host Chaffey, 7-4, Tuesday afternoon.

With their fathers looking on, Pacifica High senior Annabel Davis and Camarillo High freshman Samantha McCarthy both scored six points Tuesday night in the Pacifica High girls' basketball team's 47-26 win at Camarillo Tuesday night.

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy and Moorpark College athletic director Howard Davis have spent much of the last decade working together, first on the Raiders' coaching staff, then in the Raiders' athletic department.

Freshman forward Redmond Parker, one of the Moorpark College men's basketball team's best inside players, has quit the team, head coach Remy McCarthy confirmed.

Parker, who was averaging 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, left the team after the Raiders 78-52 loss at Ventura Jan. 17.

"That's exactly what happened," said McCarthy. "I don't know (why), I really don't."

McCarthy said Parker's father, "Ghostbusters" singer Ray Parker Jr., was part of the decision.

"He said he talked to his dad," said McCarthy. "His dad said, 'If you're not making any money doing it, you should quit.'

The Calabasas High product was one of the Raiders' top freshmen and inside presences

"We're moving on."

Third-place Moorpark (13-8, 3-2) visits fifth-place Oxnard (9-13, 2-3) in a cross-county rivalry game. Both teams need a win to stay within arm's reach of first-place Ventura and Cuesta.

"From their perspective, they've got to win it to keep pace and so do we," said Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy.

Moorpark got its season back on track Saturday with an impressive win over Santa Barbara City.

"They're a tough matchup," said McCarthy. "They're really talented. (Jonathan Johnson) is a terrific floor leader and they have a solid nucleus around him. The big kid is a problem.
"We're going to have to have the same kind of effort we had Saturday to beat them."

One first-place team has already fallen prey to Joe White Gymnasium.

The Ventura College men's basketball team hopes a pair of locals will enable it to leave Santa Maria in first place tonight.

Freshmen Anthony Burtley and Randy Hunter, who faced each other in high school at Lompoc and Righetti highs, respectively, will lead the No. 17-ranked Pirates (19-6, 4-1 WSC North) against Hancock (6-16, 1-4) tonight at 5.

"I've been looking forward to this game," said Burtley, Ventura's lone freshman starter. "It's basically my hometown school... I've been waiting all year for this game.

Righetti High boys' basketball coach Kevin Barbarick and his team are expected to root on Hunter, who averages 9.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

"It's going to be fun," said Hunter. "I'll have my little support group there."

The Ventura College women's basketball team maintained the No. 1 ranking in the state coaches' poll for the ninth straight week Monday.

The Pirates (24-0, 5-0) were the unanimous No. 1, despite barely surviving at Santa Barbara City Wednesday in overtime on sophomore Julie Heurung's heroics.

The Ventura College men's basketball (19-6, 4-1) not only moved back into first place in the WSC North with a pair of wins last week.

The Pirates moved back into the state poll at No. 17 Monday, after a three-week absence.

Ventura is also ranked No. 9 in Southern California.

Click the jump for the full polls.

Community College men's basketball

Ventura 77, Oxnard 62: Benson carries Pirates over Condors by Joe Curley in Ventura

In 18 previous seasons under head coach Ned Mircetic, the Ventura College women's basketball team has never lost two conference games in a season.

The Pirates now hold a two-game lead in the WSC North after Moorpark's double overtime win over Santa Barbara City Saturday night.

Things looked much different when Ventura trailed by four points in the final moments of regulation Wednesday night in Santa Barbara.

After seeing what the Moorpark College men's basketball team did to a good Santa Barbara City team tonight at home, I'm thinking the WSC North title will be decided as much by what happens at Raider Pavilion over the next three weeks than that Ventura trip to Cuesta next Saturday.

Cuesta visits Moorpark Feb. 4 and Ventura makes its cross-county trip to Moorpark seven days later.

The Raiders are 7-2 this year at Raider Pavilion, where they practice shooting every day.

... that the Santa Barbara City College women's basketball team will get a much deserved rest during its bye Wednesday night, after fighting uphill for two losses three days apart featuring three overtime periods.

With one game left in the first rotation, captain Danny Benson drove Ventura into a flat-footed first-place tie with Cuesta. Moorpark stayed within touching distance of the leaders with a huge win over Santa Barbara. Down six points with seven minutes to play, Pierce pulled out a win over Hancock in a battle of the two bottom teams.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 19-8 4-1
Ventura 19-6 4-1
Moorpark 13-8 3-2
Santa Barbara 11-15 3-3
Oxnard 9-13 2-3
L.A. Pierce 7-13 1-4
Hancock 6-15 1-4

Saturday's results
Ventura 77, Oxnard 62
Moorpark 84, Santa Barbara City 67
L.A. Pierce 62, Hancock 53

Wednesday's schedule
Ventura at Hancock, 5 p.m.
Moorpark at Oxnard, 5 p.m.
Pierce at Cuesta, 5 p.m.

As No. 1 Ventura stayed unbeaten by holding Oxnard to the second-lowest total all-time by a Pirates' opponent, Santa Barbara City was playing its second and third overtime sessions in three days. Moorpark's double overtime win opened up a two-game lead for rival Ventura. Moorpark and Pierce, which romped over Hancock, pulled within a half game of the second-place Vaqueros, who will get some much needed rest with a bye Wednesday having finished the first WSC North rotation 4-2.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 24-0 5-0
Santa Barbara 18-10 4-2
L.A. Pierce 17-8 3-2
Moorpark 11-11 3-2
Oxnard 7-14 2-3
Cuesta 6-17 1-4
Hancock 2-19 0-5

Saturday's results
Ventura 63, Oxnard 16
Moorpark 73, Santa Barbara City 69 (2OT)
L.A. Pierce 100, Hancock 51

Wednesday's schedule
Ventura at Hancock, 7 p.m.
Moorpark at Oxnard, 7 p.m.
Pierce at Cuesta, 7 p.m.

Three days after all but becoming the first team to force unbeaten No. 1 Ventura to play a 40 minute game, second-place Santa Barbara City fell two games behind the Pirates in the WSC North with a double overtime loss to Moorpark at Raider Pavilion.

Santa Barbara City coach Sandrine Krul gave all the credit to the Raiders:

"It wasn't a let down, it was a great game. (Although) we were 29 of 90 from the field."

"Moorpark played hard and made big shots."

The biggest win of Lindsay Goldblatt's young coaching career arrived Saturday night.

The Moorpark College women's basketball team's second-year head coach guided her Raiders to a shocking double-overtime win over Santa Barbara City, three days after the Vaqueros pushed top-ranked and unbeaten Ventura College to the brink.

And the win came over Santa Barbara coach Sandrine Krul, who coached Goldblatt when she was the Raiders' point guard.

"We have mutual respect for one another," said Goldblatt of Krul. "Playing against each other, someone has to lose."

Moorpark had dropped four straight games to Santa Barbara over the past two seasons before Saturday night.

"I like it a lot better this way," said Goldblatt. "They are a tough team. We had to work really hard for this."

Especially considering the Raiders, who only have seven players, had to go 10 extra minutes and had two players foul out.

"They wanted it," said Goldblatt over her players. "They worked really hard for it. ."

From Star teammate Ivan Yeo in Moorpark:

"Moorpark 73, Santa Barbara 69 (Double OT)

Moorpark trailed 55-52 when Tiffany Hurd buried a 3 at the top of the key with 44 seconds to tie the game. SBCC's Jennifer Ju hit a running layup with 17 seconds left to put the Vaqueros out in front, then following a timeout, Moorpark's Kristin Thomas drove the length of the court and hit a running layup and drew the foul with 11 seconds left to tie the game. Thomas missed the free throw, but Moorpark stopped Santa Barbara on its final possession of regulation to send the game into overtime.

In the second overtime, Moorpark held a one-point lead when Hurd nailed another 3 with just under a minute left that proved to be the difference. Hurd, who started the game as a substitute, finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Molly Carson scored 14 points and Reynisha Mays grabbed 12 rebounds. Moorpark held on despite having two players foul out in the game."

Note: refresh for score updates:

Women's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 63, Oxnard 16 FINAL
-- Donielle Griggs had 14 points and Erika Ward added 11 points and five assists for Ventura, which held Oxnard to the second lowest point total for a Ventura opponent. Pierce mustered just 13 points against Ventura on Jan. 19, 2000.
-- Oxnard was held scoreless for the first 7:58 of the second half, until two Bradley free throws.
-- Oxnard went nearly 17 minutes without its first field goal, until Nordhoff High product Chloe Bunkard's putback off the backcourt on the Condors' 13th attempt from the field made it 25-3, VC.
-- Ventura jumped out to a 19-0 lead as Oxnard missed its first 13 shots from the field and line before Charnisha Bradley's free throw with 8:45 left in the first half.

Moorpark 73, Santa Barbara City 69 2OT FINAL
-- Tiffany Hurd had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Molly Carson had 14 points, Kristen Thomas had 13 points and nine rebounds and Reyneisha Mays had nine points and 12 rebounds as Moorpark pulled off one of its biggest wins of the season. Second-place Santa Barbara fell two games behind first-place Ventura.

L.A. Pierce 100, Hancock 51 FINAL

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 77, Oxnard 62 FINAL
Listen live on KVTA 1520 AM or HomefieldSports.com.
-- Matt Dewaal, who didn't have a foul at the half, fouls out with 1:47 to play.
-- Benson's jumper puts VC up 66-56 with 3 minutes to play. He's made 11 of 14 from the field.
-- Dee Pinkard's 3-pointer from the left corner gives Ventura a 64-56 lead with 4:20
-- After Benson's shot (his 10th make in 11 attempts) gives VC a 58-52 lead, Dewaal makes two free throws to pull within four points with 6:34 to play.
-- Benson has a game-high 18 points on 9 of 10 shooting. His only miss was a blocked shot. Ventura has only turned the ball over four times. Jonathan Johnson and Marc Pajund both have a team-high eight points. Matt Dewaal has four blocks, two rebounds and one point.
-- Down 28-27 with 3:30 to play, Ventura uses a 13-0 run to take a 40-28 halftime lead on Prince Abidoye's last-second 3-pointer from the left wing.
-- Benson's steal and layup gives him 18 points in the first half on 8 of 9 shooting and a 33-28 Ventura Lead.
-- Benson baseline bank shot makes him 7 for 7 and gives the Pirates a 29-28 lead, but Benson's straight ends on a blocked shot by Marc Pajund.
-- Pajund's game-tying 3-pointer (24-24) is matched by Benson's 3-pointer for a 27-24 VC lead with 4:30 left in the half. Benson is 6 for 6 from the field.
-- Benson's pull up jumper gives Ventura a 22-21 lead with six minutes to play in the half. He's 5 for 5 from the field.
-- Danny Benson's left wing 3-pointer gives Ventura a 18-14 lead with nine minutes left in the half.

Moorpark 84, Santa Barbara City 67 FINAL
-- Justin Taylor lead the Raiders with 18 points, followed by 12 points by Chris Booker and 10 points by Matt Mazarei and Sean Bryan.
Hancock at L.A. Pierce, 5 p.m.

The Oxnard College men's basketball team will unveil new uniforms tonight at rival Ventura.

Head coach Jason Cunningham unveiled them as a surprise in a pregame meeting Saturday, saying, "What's the matter with you guys? Maybe these will pick you up a little."

Jessi Selleh, the starting small forward on the Ventura College women's basketball team, will sit out tonight's game against Oxnard with the ankle injury she suffered in Wednesday night's win over Santa Barbara City.

"I'm out," said Selleh, sitting in the stands with a wrap on her ankle before the game. "Why does basketball have to be so difficult?"

Blair Egardo had 13 points and four other Mounties scored in double figures as the No. 2-ranked Mount San Antonio College women's basketball team ended rival Pasadena City College's 16-game winning streak with a 69-53 win Friday night in what has become the state's most watched rivalry this decade.

Having disposed of No. 7 Los Angeles City (22-2) and No. 4 Pasadena City (23-3) in the same week, Mount SAC (23-2) took sole possession of first place in the state's toughest division, the South Coast Conference's North Division, by improving to 2-0.

Mount SAC, the three-time defending state champion, has won 12 straight games since its second loss to No. 1 Ventura on Dec. 7.

Game stories from from Here's the game story">PCC Sports Information and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

"We knew we had a big week," Mt. SAC coach Laura Beeman told the Tribune. "That's why you practice hard in November and December for games like this. You never know when these matchups are going to come, so you just have to play. When it comes time for playoff basketball, everyone's a No. 1, a No. 2."

"I don't think we played very pretty basketball... Yeah, maybe we wore them down a bit, maybe our depth got them a bit, but our transition early was very good. I just thought we got away from our game plan (late)."

Those of you who've already visited the blog over the past 36 hours will recognized much of the material in today's Community College notebook, but the lead item is an interesting tidbit on how Santa Barbara City women's basketball coach Sandrine Krul has been able to have such success against Ventura College lately.

Here's the full HomefieldSports.com broadcast of the Ventura College men's basketball team's 88-76 win at Santa Barbara City Wednesday night, featuring play-by-play extraordinaire Danny Page:

And the postgame interview with Ventura center Will Faiivae:

Community College men's basketball
Ventura 88, Santa Barbara City 76: VC holds on, moves into second place by Joe Curley in Santa Barbara

Oxnard 75, L.A. Pierce 70:Mark Pajund scored 20 to lead all scorers while John Johnson added 19. Oxnard plays Ventura on Saturday.
Record: Oxnard 9-12, 2-2 WSC North.

Hancock 61, Cuesta 59: Bulldogs claw out win over Cougars by Brad Memberto, Santa Maria Times.

Community College women's basketball

Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 81 (OT):Heurung, VC tip Santa Barbara in OT by Joe Curley in Santa Barbara
SBCC women have hearts broken by No. 1 Ventura by Blake Dorfman, PresidioSports.com

Oxnard College men's basketball coach Jason Cunningham reaches to the Condors moving within a game of first-place Cuesta in the loss column with a 75-70 win over Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday night:

"Pierce is a scrappy team, they play hard... I told our guys that it didn't bode well for our chances, considering the way we've played against sub-.500 teams."

When Oxnard fell behind by 11 in the first half, it still didn't look good, until Jonathan Johnson and Marc Pajund started hitting 3s, combining for 27 first-half points.

"Somehow we got right back in it. J.J. hit a 3. Pajund hit a 3. I guess it just clicked and these guys picked it up."

Of course, Pierce didn't go away.

"They fought to get back in the game, but we hit our free throws down the stretch."

(on Hancock handing Cuesta its first loss in WSC North play, rather than Oxnard)

"I was very upset about it. We truly felt that we had the talent and were good enough to beat them."

(On Saturday's trip to local rival Ventura)

"We know (the rivalry) from the three times we played them last year. It's going to be the same thing. We're going to play well for 20 minutes and the second half is a crapshoot.

"That's the scary thing. Even this week, I was more worried about playing (last-place) Pierce than (second-place) Ventura.

"We know the rivalry. We know these kids know each other. When we got into the van after the game tonight, we've got (Ventura's Will Faiivae) texting our guys talking about the game."

(On his memories from the three games against Ventura last season)

"Remember what I told you before the game over there (in conference). 'We're going to win tonight.' At halftime, when we were up by 20 (points), you could hear a pindrop over there."

Before the late fireworks in the women's game, the Ventura College and Santa Barbara City College men's basketball teams played a coaching chess match.

Ventura won 88-76, but not before Santa Barbara head coach Morris Hodges gave the Pirates plenty of trouble by switching from Vance Walberg's drive-and-kick offense to the triangle offense and slapping on a zone press.

"They're a good team, they're well coached and they made some adjustments," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic. "The game was up for grabs

"It took four of five minutes, but we finally hit the brakes and put the car into gear again."

The offensive adjustment helped Santa Barbara close a 21-point deficit to 68-64 with 7:31 to play.

"We got a little lazy," said point guard Danny Benson, who keyed the game with 16 points and seven assists. "When they came back, we had to go back to what our coaches told us to do."

"I was scared there for a second," said center Will Faiivae, who had 10 points and rocked the rim with three memorable dunks. "Everyone's playing hard. We're hungry for conference."

Santa Barbara had dug out of a 19-point hole in win over Pierce last week.

"We couldn't let them do it this game," said Benson.

Special mention for Ventura guard Eric Gray, who not only scored 11 points, but helped the Pirates shut out high-scoring Santa Barbara guard Mark Keeten.

"We knew Keeten from last year," said Benson. "We did what we needed to do."

The WSC North race was turned on its head in Round 5 Wednesday night, as five of the division's seven teams pulled within a game in the loss column of first-place Cuesta, which hit a snag against Hancock.

Scott Dixon's shot with 0.9 seconds to play gave Cuesta its third loss this season at Joe White Gymnasium in Santa Maria.

Ventura turned away Santa Barbara City comeback attempt to pull into second place, within a half game of the Cougars. A win Saturday against local rival Oxnard, which pushed Pierce into the cellar, would pull Ventura into a first-place tie with Cuesta.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 19-8 4-1
Ventura 18-6 3-1
Santa Barbara 11-14 3-2
Moorpark 12-8 2-2
Oxnard 9-12 2-2
Hancock 6-15 1-3
L.A. Pierce 6-13 0-4

Wednesday's results
Ventura 88, Santa Barbara City 76
Oxnard 75, L.A. Pierce 70
Hancock 61, Cuesta 59

Saturday's schedule
Oxnard at Ventura, 5 p.m.
Santa Barbara City at Moorpark, 5 p.m.
Hancock at L.A. Pierce, 5 p.m.

No. 1 Ventura stayed unbeaten with a dramatic overtime victory in perhaps the WSC North Game of the Year in Santa Barbara. Pierce ended its two-game losing streak against Oxnard. Cuesta pushed Hancock into the cellar with a low-scoring win.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 23-0 4-0
Santa Barbara 18-9 4-1
L.A. Pierce 16-8 2-2
Oxnard 7-11 2-2
Moorpark 10-11 2-2
Cuesta 6-17 1-4
Hancock 2-18 0-4

Wednesday's results
No. 1 Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 81 (OT)
L.A. Pierce 106, Oxnard 72
Cuesta 47, Hancock 43

Saturday's schedule
Oxnard at Ventura, 7 p.m.
Santa Barbara City at Moorpark, 7 p.m.
Hancock at L.A. Pierce, 7 p.m.

Listen to HomefieldSport.com's full broadcast of the top-ranked Ventura College women's basketball team's 84-81 overtime victory over Santa Barbara City:

Listen to Ventura sophomore Julie Heurung being interviewed after her career performance, which including a career-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, a career-high 17 rebounds, a game-tying 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds left in regulation and a game-winning assist to Michelle Santizo with 10 seconds left in overtime.

Click the jump for the box scores from the Ventura College men's and women's basketball teams' dramatic wins at Santa Barbara City College Wednesday night.

Santa Barbara City College coach Sandrine Krul on the Vaqueros' dramatic 84-81 overtime loss to visiting Ventura Wednesday night:

(on stopping Ventura's transition game)

"That was our game plan going into the game. You have to make them slow it down."

(on the dramatic finish)

"Julie Heurung played great, she made a great shot... She wanted it. She's a quality kid."

"We missed some free throws down the stretch. You've got to hit those in big games... Oh man, what can you do?"

(on three of its losses coming to No. 1 Ventura, No. 2 Mount San Antonio and No. 3 City College of San Francisco)

"That's what we do. That's why we go to those tournaments. We want to play the best."

(on how those teams would potentially match up in the state tournament)

"You know what Ventura does. Ventura capitalizes on your mistakes. No other team that we played this year does that.

"We worked so hard (to combat that). We spent 70 minutes just working on drills in practice the other day, working on things like not turning your head... They will score points off turnovers every single time. That's what makes you great.

"They're better offensively, because they make you make mistakes defensively. They do a great job of helping and then they go and they score.

"That's the difference between Ventura, San Francisco and Mount SAC."

(on the visit to Ventura on Feb. 14, when Santa Barbara could potentially snap what would be a 101-0 home WSC record for Ventura since VC coach Ned Mircetic was hired in 1990)

"We played them Feb. 14... Tell Ned I want a Valentine's Day present."

(on Mircetic coaching both the men's and women's teams)

"I don't know how he does it."

Lost in Julie Heurung's memorable performance Wednesday night is the effort put forth by the Santa Barbara City College women's basketball team, which was one bounce of the ball away from snapping Ventura's 22-game winning streak, 18-game WSC North winning streak and defeating the VC dynasty at home for the third time in four seasons.

It may not be a rivalry, but the Pirates -- who have not lost to any of the other five teams in the WSC North since I graduated high school in 1995 -- have certainly found a much needed foil in the WSC North.

In case anyone has lost count, the Vaqueros home wins in 2006 and 2007 are the Pirates only Western State Conference losses since 1995, over an incredible span of 151 games.

If the streak is impressive, breaking up the streak is similarly impressive.

Jan. 2, 2006 -- Santa Barbara City 55, Ventura 54
Jan. 28, 2006 -- Ventura 74, Santa Barbara City 63 (2 OT)
Jan. 3, 2007 -- Ventura 62, Santa Barbara City 54
Jan. 27, 2007 --Santa Barbara City 73, Ventura 67
Jan. 23, 2008 -- Ventura 73, Santa Barbara City 51
Feb. 16, 2008 -- Ventura 79, Santa Barbara City 65
Jan. 21, 2009 -- Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 81 (OT)

Those aren't just two lucky wins. The Vaqueros are two overtime games away from a winning record over VC since 2006.

Remember now, the first game on this list broke VC's 114-game WSC win streak and the second game was perilously close to spoiling the Pirates' 18-year WSC title stranglehold and perfect 99-0 home record in WSC play under coach Ned Mircetic.

To survive, Ventura needed a weird technical foul on Santa Barbara City coach Sandrine Krul, who unintentionally interfered with play when the ball hit her while she was standing on the court, to force one overtime and three straight free throws by Ventura's McKena Richardson in waning seconds to force another overtime.

"Oh, what can do you," said Santa Barbara coach Sandrine Krul. "You know what Ventura does? Ventura capitalizes on your mistakes."

The dramatic ending wasn't the only scare the Ventura College women's basketball team and its fans received Wednesday night in Santa Barbara.

Sophomore Jessi Selleh collapsed in a heap under the Vaqueros' basket early in the second half and had to be carried off the court by assistant coach Robin Hester after suffering an ankle injury.

But the former Royal High star, who missed all but six games of last season with a back injury, doesn't seem a threat to miss many games.

"It's just a little swollen," said Selleh, while on crutches after the game. "Coach just said to get ready for Saturday (against Oxnard)."

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on Julie Heurung's career-high 24-point, 17-rebound performance, which helped the Pirates maintain their perfect record, 84-81 in overtime, at Santa Barbara City College.

"This year, she's made a decision to be the best she can me, to live up to her skill level.

"I'm really pleased with her progress as a player and a student."

After running their first three WSC North opponents off the floor, Ventura had to eek out a game in the half court Wednesday night, 84-81, in overtime at Santa Barbara City.

"That's OK," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic. "We do well in the half court."

Santa Barbara coach Sandrine Krul's plan to slow the Pirates transition game down worked to perfection. To avoid its third loss in Santa Barbara in four years, Ventura needed two Vaqueros to miss the front end of 1-and-1 free throw situations and Julie Heurung's clutch 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds to play.

Actually, it needed one of the best games by a Pirate in recent memory -- Heurung's career-best 24-point, 17-rebound, 10-for-12 shooting performance.

While stunting the flow of Ventura's dynamic freshmen, Erika Ward and Chanelle Brennan, who thrive in the transition game, Krul's halfcourt plan actually thrust the game right into the hands of the 6-foot-4 Buena High product.

"It was different than we're used to, but the game played out in my favor. I love the halfcourt offense that we run.

"I just unleashed it tonight, frankly, because there hasn't been a game like this in a long time.

Conventional wisdom after the Ventura College women's basketball team somehow survived Wednesday night's annual trip to Santa Barbara City, 84-81, in overtime was the the top-ranked PIrates, who had been crushing conference opposition by 46.7 points per game and had only been played to a single-digit final score twice in 22 games, will be better off for experiencing the close game.

Leading by 14 points with 16 minutes to play, Ventura certainly was shaky down the stretch, missing free throws (20 of 38), layups and being outrebounded (44 to 38). But somehow the Pirates learned the lesson and still won the game.

"I love it," said center Julie Heurung. "I absolutely love it, because it gets us ready for games later in the season... Once we get into the playoffs, we're going to have games like these. We have to learn how to manage the clock."

I think it's going to make us a better team," said point guard Michelle Santizo. "I think we needed it. This is a lesson learned."

Ventura hadn't trailed in the second half since Cypress' visit to Ventura Dec. 19, eight games ago.

"No team has really put pressure on us this year," said guard Erika Ward. "We'll learn from this experience."

Sophomore Jessi Selleh, sitting helplessly on the bench after injuring her ankle, called the game "a white knuckler."

Coach Ned Mircetic called it an "invaluable" experience.

"You can't simulate that in practice," said Mircetic.

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on Julie Heurung's game-trying 3-pointer, which saved the top-ranked Pirates Wednesday night in Santa Barbara:

"When I saw her shoot it, I though, 'All right,' because she can hit those. When it went in, I was really happy.

"I was going to let them take the ball in and finish it out, but then I saw us celebrating. I have visions of them scoring as we slapped hands at midcourt."

With 9.6 seconds to play and the score tied, 72-72, Mircetic was forced to take a timeout and calm his relieved players down.

"Stop celebrating!" he chided repeatedly.

"I couldn't stop hopping up and down," said point guard Michelle Santizo. "Coach had to tell me to stop."

With her team trailing to Santa Barbara City with less than 10 seconds to play, Julie Heurung drained a right wing 3-pointer to force overtime for the Pirates, who eventually triumped 84-81.

"It wasn't expecting it to go in," said Heurung. "But once it left my hands, I knew."

Heurung's 24 points (on 10-of-12 shooting) and 17 rebounds were both career highs.

From Ventura assistant coach Robin Hester:

The career-high 17 rebounds by sophomore Julie Heurung in tonight Ventura College women's basketball overtime win over Santa Barbara City were the most by a VC player since the 18 rebounds by Kristen DeSimone on Nov. 29, 1998 in the VC-Kiwanis tournament third-place game against defending state champion San Jose.

Heurung's 17 rebounds are tied for seventh all-time in school history for a single game.

Four games into WSC North play, the Ventura College women's basketball team has had five players score 20 or more points.

Jan. 7 vs. Cuesta -- Erika Ward (51) and Chanelle Brennan (20)
Jan. 10 at Pierce -- Brennan (26) and Michelle Santizo (25)
Jan. 17 vs. Moorpark -- Brennan (29) and Donielle Griggs (20)
Jan. 21 at Santa Barbara City -- Julie Heurung (24)

That's four starters (Ward, Santizo, Griggs, Heurung) and a reserve (Brennan), who happens to lead the team in scoring.

Your move, Jessi Selleh, the fifth starter, who has scored 20 or more points eight times in her VC career.

I'll be providing news, notes and reaction from a big night in WSC North basketball right here over the next couple hours.

Note: refresh for score updates:

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 88, Santa Barbara City 76 FINAL
-- Click the jump for the play-by-play updates:
Oxnard 75, L.A. Pierce 70 FINAL
-- Click the jump for the play-by-play updates from budding journalist Jason Townsley:
Hancock 61, Cuesta 59 FINAL
-- First- place Cuesta falls to 4-1 in WSC North play.

Women's basketball

WSC North

No. 1 Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 81 FINAL IN OT
-- Click the jump for the play-by-play updates.
L.A. Pierce 106, Oxnard 72 FINAL
Cuesta 47, Hancock 43 FINAL

Two of the three Western State Conference men's basketball players Players of the Week face off tonight at Santa Barbara.

From WSC Sports Information Director Don Adams:

RANDY HUNTER--Ventura College
Randy Hunter scored 14 points in the Pirates 78 to 52 victory over Moorpark. Randy also had 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Randy was 5 of 10 from the field (0 of 1 from three) and 4 of 4 from the line. Randy is a 6-6 205 lb. freshman forward from Righetti High School.

RICHARD SOMDAH--Santa Barbara City College
Richard Somdah scored 43 points in 2 games with 17 rebounds. Richard was 19 of 29 from the field and 4 of 8 from the line. Richard scored 22 points versus Pierce with 10 rebounds. Richard is a 6-3 210 lb. freshman forward from Spring High School in Houston, Texas.

Moorpark College athletic director Howard Davis on men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy missing the rest of the season after spinal surgery:

"We are most concerned with coach McCarthy's full and complete recovery."

"We have terrific assistant coaches, but his impact on our team cannot be overstated."

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy, who had spinal surgery Dec. 31 to correct a bulging disc in his neck, will miss the rest of the season.

"I saw my neurologist last week and we decided that I take the year off," said McCarthy before his team faced cross-county rival Ventura on Saturday.

McCarthy attempted to return to practice days after his surgery, but found his emotional response to the game conflicted with his body's need to heal.

"It's the tension. Some people handle it better than others. It's been pretty well documented that I can't."

Moorpark was 10-2 and ranked in the state coaches' poll when McCarthy went under the knife, but the Raiders have dropped two of eight games without their veteran coach. Star guard Matt Hornbuckle has also been out during the span.

Ventura College fans unwilling to make the drive up to Santa Barbara City can listen live to both games.

The men's basketball game will be broadcast by KVTA AM 1520. Both games will be broadcast over the Internet at HomefieldSports.com.

Danny Page, Ryan Miller and myself will be providing coverage.

Ventura College men's basketball assistant coach Jon Wyers on defending the Santa Barbara City backcourt, which features guards David Lane and Mark Keeten, who are both in the Top 20 in the state in scoring:

"Their backcourt is one of the toughest in conference and maybe top 10 in state.

"Keeten is a phenomenal scorer that moves well without the ball and can create his own shot. We really need to deny him... When he gets ball we need to contest all shots. Eric Gray has done a great job of this in past.

"Freshman David Lane is very quick and we need to do a better job of staying in front of him this time. If he beats us off the dribble again, we will need... to get the ball out of his hands where he is less effective.

"If we shut down these two players we win the game."

The Ventura College women's basketball team has lost two of their last three trips to Santa Barbara, which perhaps turns up the heat on Wednesday's trip north.

"It definitely heats up the rivalry," said sophomore center Julie Heurung, who helped Ventura end its two-game losing streak in Santa Barbara, 79-65, last February.

"It's always real physical, always good competition, always real fun... We're always looking forward to beating Santa Barbara."

Heurung called it Ventura's "second most fun" rivalry, behind the long-running competition with Mount San Antonio College.

Apparently Barack Obama's inauguration inspired Santa Barbara City College women's basketball coach Sandrine Krul Monday at the weekly Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Luncheon.

"Things are changing... and I think it's time that history comes toward Santa Barbara City College and we take down Ventura," said Krul, according to PresidioSports.com.

The Ventura College women's basketball team (22-0, 3-0) has won 18 straight WSC North titles, yet the Pirates find themselves a half game behind the 4-0 Vaqueros entering Wednesday night's visit to Santa Barbara.

Although the Vaqueros have already made a certain amount of history over the past three years.

Santa Barbara is 2-33 against Ventura College since Ned Mircetic was hired in 1990, but those two home wins in 2006 and 2007 represent Ventura's two losses in its last 150 WSC North games.

The Ventura College men's basketball team (17-6) is the only team in the Top 15 in state RPI not ranked in the state poll.

The Pirates haven't been beaten by unranked opposition since Nov. 13, a string on 19 games.

Ventura's last three losses have been to defending state champion and No. 4-ranked Citrus, No. 10 Chaffey and No. 17 Cuesta.

Ventura's Danny Benson is 84th in the state in scoring (13.6 points per game).

Ventura's Will Faiivae is 30th in the state in rebounding (8.1 per game), while Oxnard's Matt Dewaal (70th, 7.0) follows.

Oxnard's John Johnson is 21st in the state in assists per game (4.8), while Ventura's Dee Pinkard (37th, 4.2), Moorpark's Dwight Jones (43rd, 4.0) and Ventura's Prince Abidoye (86th, 3.2) follow.

Ventura's Will Faiivae is 13th in the state in blocks per game (2.3), while Oxnard's Matt Dewaal (31st, 1.6) and Ventura's Randy Hunter (39th, 1.4) follow.

Moorpark's Dwight Jones is 10th in the state in steals (2.6 per game), while Oxnard's John Johnson (56th, 1.8) and Marc Pajund (60th, 1.8) follow.

Oxnard's Matt Dewaal is 40th in the state in shooting percentage (56.4), while Moorpark's Michael Rodgers (45th, 58.5) and Redmond Parker (53rd, 57.3) follow.

Oxnard's Bernard Burrell is 36th in the state in free throw shooting (77.9 percent), while Ventura's Danny Benson (41st, 77.2) and Prince Abidoye (53rd, 75.8).

Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd is seventh in the state in scoring (19.7 points per game), followed by Ventura's Chanelle Brennan (47th, 14.5).

Ventura's Erika Ward has the state's highest single-game point night (51) against Cuesta, while Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd follows in fourth (37 vs. Riverside).

Moorpark's Grace Arocha is 10th in the state in assists per game (4.6), while Ventura's Michelle Santizo follows in 18th (4.2).

Ventura's Julie Heuring is 22nd in the state in blocks per game (1.48).

Ventura's Chanelle Brennan leads the state in shooting percentage (66.2), while Oxnard's Arlene Cortez (20th, 56.1), Ventura's Julie Heurung (26th, 54.5), Moorpark's Reyneisha Mays (32nd, 53.7) and Ventura's Erika Ward (47th, 51.4) follow.

Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd is 37th in the state in free throw percentage (72.8), while Ventura's Chanelle Brennan (43rd, 71.6)

Moorpark's Reyneisha Mays is 35th in the state in rebounds per game (9.1), while Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd (62nd, 8.0) follows.

Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd is 46th in the state in steals per game (2.6), while Ventura's Michelle Santizo (53rd, 2.5) and Erika Ward (88th, 2.2) follow

Oxnard's. Amanda Izaguirre is 10th in the state in 3-point shooting (44.4), while Ventura's Erika Ward (22nd, 39.6), and Moorpark's Molly Carson (52nd, 34.7) follows.

The Ventura College women's basketball team is California's No. 1 team for the eighth straight week and the unanimous top-ranked team for the second straight week following San Francisco's lone loss earlier this month.

Click the jump for the full state and regional polls.

Despite holding rival Moorpark to its lowest point total in 255 games and its worst cross-county rivalry loss in 12 years, the Ventura College men's basketball team (17-6) slips one spot this week to No. 12 in the Southern California regional poll and remains unranked in the state poll.

The slotting does seem a little low, since the Pirates are No. 10 in the state in RPI, while Moorpark is 44th and Oxnard is 68th.

Click the jump for the full state and regional polls.

Santa Barbara City maintained its half-game edge in the standings with a big win over Pierce. Ventura stayed unbeaten with a win over rival Moorpark. Oxnard won its second straight game with a win over Cuesta.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Santa Barbara 18-8 4-0
Ventura 22-0 3-0
Oxnard 7-10 2-1
Moorpark 10-11 2-2
L.A. Pierce 15-8 1-2
Cuesta 5-17 0-4
Hancock 2-17 0-3

Saturday's results
Ventura 103, Moorpark 57
Santa Barbara City 90, Los Angeles Pierce 72
Oxnard 58, Cuesta 46

Wednesday's schedule
Ventura at Santa Barbara City, 7 p.m.
Oxnard at L.A. Pierce, 7 p.m.
Cuesta at Hancock, 7 p.m.

Down 11 points at the half in Oxnard, Cuesta responded to improve to 4-0 in WSC North play. Santa Barbara City and Ventura maintained the pace with wins over Pierce and Moorpark.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 19-7 4-0
Santa Barbara 11-13 3-1
Ventura 17-6 2-1
Moorpark 12-8 2-2
Oxnard 8-12 1-2
L.A. Pierce 6-12 0-3
Hancock 5-15 0-3

Saturday's results
No. 20 Cuesta 64, Oxnard 50
Santa Barbara City 89, L.A. Pierce 84
Ventura 78, Moorpark 52

Wednesday's schedule
Ventura at Santa Barbara City, 5 p.m.
Oxnard at L.A. Pierce, 5 p.m.
Cuesta at Hancock, 5 p.m.

Community College men's basketball

Ventura 78, Moorpark 52: VC goes out of its way in rout by Joe Curley in Ventura.

Cuesta 64, Oxnard 50: John Johnson scored 12 points. Matt Dewaal and Bernard Burrell each had 10. Oxnard led 30-19 at halftime. Frank Muller scored a game-high 18 for first-place Cuesta.

Records: Oxnard 8-12, 1-2 Western State Conference; Cuesta 19-7, 4-0.

Community College women's basketball

Ventura 103, Moorpark 56: VC overwhelms Moorpark by Joe Curley in Ventura

The Ventura College men's basketball team handed Moorpark a 78-52 WSC North loss Saturday night at the VC Athletic Event Center.

The 26-point margin was the Pirates biggest win in the cross-county rivalry in 18 meetings, since a 100-64 win in Feb. 1997.

The Pirates lead the 33-year-old series, 52-32.

Moorpark shot 28.3 percent from the field (17-of-60 shooting, which included a decent 9 of 30 from 3-point land) and was held to 52 points.

The 52 points are the least mustered by the Raiders in a game since March 6, 2000, the heralded Moorpark 46-42 state quarterfinal victory over state Player of the Year Phil Ricce and San Joaquin Delta.

Moorpark played 255 basketball games over the nearly nine-year span.

Moorpark athletic director Howard Davis was the assistant coach in 1999-00. Moorpark assistant coach Kenny Plummer was a sophomore forward on that team.

Note: refresh for score updates:

Women's basketball

WSC North

No. 1 Ventura College 103, Moorpark College 57 FINAL
-- Brennan had 28 points on 13-of-14 shootin and Ventura handed its cross-county rival its biggest series loss since 1997.
-- Chanelle Brennan had 16 points and Julie Heurung had 11 points as Ventura was bound for its 40th straight win over its cross-country rival at the half. Moorpark was led by seven points from Kim Pulido and Reyneisha Mays.
Cuesta College at Oxnard College, 7 p.m.

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura College 78, Moorpark College 52 FINAL
-- Click the jump for play-by-play updates.
Ventura's biggest win over its cross-county rival since a 100-64 win in Feb. 1997, a span of 18 games.

Cuesta College 64, Oxnard College 50 FINAL
-- Click the jump for updates from budding journalist Jason Townsley:
After starting so optimistically, Oxnard was outscored 38-13 to end the game.

Ventura College coach Ned Mircetic on defending Moorpark College's drive and kick attack:

"We're adjusted to them."

Many coaches decide not to help off Moorpark's shooter and opt to defend the Raiders one on one:

"We will (help) in certain places, but from an odd place."

Assistant coach Will Cowen on defending tonight:

"We'll defend as aggressively as possible without getting beat."

The Moorpark College at Ventura College basketball doubleheader can be heard live on the radio on KVTA AM 1520 in Ventura, KKZZ AM 1400 in Fillmore and live on the Internet at HomefieldSports.com.

Here's the highlight reel from Erika Ward's WSC-record 51-point performance for the Ventura College women's basketball team last week against Cuesta

Ventura College will hold its annual barbecue fundraiser Saturday night.

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door for both games and a tri-tip and chicken dinner.

"It's well worth the price," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic.

The rumor is barbecue superstar Ed Diaz will be returning to Ventura to man the barbecue.

The top-ranked Ventura College women's basketball team (21-0) is the last undefeated women's team left in state after City College of San Francisco (23-1) dropped its Coast Conference opener, 96-81, to Chabot Friday.

Chabot teammates Rose Thompson and Dezzirae Cafferata combined for 59 points and 12 3-pointers.

San Francisco dropped a spot in the state poll to No. 3. Three-time defending state champion Mount San Antonio (20-2) assumed the No. 2 slot behind the Pirates.
Ventura has twice produced unbeaten state championship teams -- 35-0 in 1995-96 and 38-0 in 1999-2000.

No. 1 Fresno City (23-0), coached by Camarillo native Ed Madec, who played at Oxnard College under current Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy, remains the only unbeaten men's team left.

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic was impressed with what he saw from the Moorpark College women's team, which hasn't beaten the Pirates in 39 games since Jan. 1991.

"Their five starters are as good as anybody in the league," said Mircetic. "They're as good as Top 10 team, which makes them pretty scary."

The Raiders start point guard Grace Arocha, guard Molly Carson, forward Tiffany Hurd, forward Kristine Thomas and center Reyneisha Mays.

Hurd had 35 points and 11 rebounds and the Raiders held Pierce, the highest-scoring team in the state, to 73 points Wednesday, but Bridget Jenkins hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 67 seconds to give Pierce a 73-68 road win.

The Ventura College basketball coaching staff cast a wide scouting net during its off night Wednesday.

Women's assistant coach Robin Hester was in San Luis Obispo to see Cuesta-Santa Barbara while men's assistants Will Cowen and Jon Wyers scouted Los Angeles Pierce at Moorpark and Hancock at Oxnard, respectively.

The three assistants scouted both games of the doubleheader, contributing to both the men's and women's programs.

"It helps that we work close together like that," said Mircetic, who also scouted Pierce at Moorpark.

The Cuesta College men's basketball team has edged out in front in the Western State Conference's North Division race.

In a first-place showdown of the two teams who opened WSC North play 2-0, the host Cougars (18-7) rolled over Santa Barbara City Wednesday night, 96-70, by jumping out to a 53-29 halftime lead.

Freshman guard Tom Schumacher, whose 23- and 15-point second halves led to wins over Ventura and Moorpark, exploded for a career-high 37 points, including 7-for-10 shooting from 3-point land.

Ventura coach Ned Mircetic isn't quite ready to call Cuesta the team to beat.

"It's too early to call," said Mircetic. "Right now they're 3-0 and they beat up on Santa Barbara pretty well, which is impressive considering how well Santa Barbara was playing.

"But I'm trying not to get caught up in the rank order... We've got Moorpark Saturday night and that's all that's on my mind."

Tiffany Hurd scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Wednesday night at Raider Pavilion, but it wasn't enough as the Moorpark College women's basketball team fell to Los Angeles Pierce, 73-68, as Bridget Jenkins stroked a pair of 3-pointers in the final 67 seconds.

Star teammate Ivan Yeo happened to attend the game:

"Moorpark (10-10, 2-1) came out with something to prove against one of the state's better teams in Pierce (15-7, 1-1), which was averaging a state-best 80 points a game, leading by as many as 12 points. Moorpark led 36-28 late in the, but Pierce closed the half out on a 7-0 run, then ran off the first six off the second half to lead 41-36.

The rest of the half was back-and-forth, and Moorpark led 66-63 with over a minute left, but a pair of Fuentes free-throws was then followed by a 3-pointer by Bridget Jenkins to give Pierce the lead. Jenkins made another three with about 40 seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Tiffany Hurd scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Fellow Moorpark Musketeer alumnae Molly Carson scored 15 points and Kristin Thomas had 10 points."

Here's an account of the Moorpark College men's basketball team's 71-57 win over Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday night at Raider Pavilion by jchoops.com, run by foremost California Community College basketball expert Dave Roghan.

And here's the review by Star teammate Ivan Yeo, who happened to attend the game:

"
Men
Moorpark struggled to put the ball in the basket for most of the first half. Moorpark ended the first half on a 12-2 run to lead 38-28 at the break.

Justin Taylor nailed to 3-pointers to start the second half to stake Moorpark to a 16 point lead, its largest of the game. Pierce hung around, chopping the lead to as little as five, but Moorpark eventually hung on and improved to 2-1 in WSC North play heading into an important road game against Ventura on Saturday.

Note: The end of the game was marred somewhat by a "confrontation" that occured during the post game handshake. No punches were thrown and nothing really serious happened, though a Pierce player (looked like former Raider Corey Duncan) had to be restrained from getting to Moorpark's locker."

With 2-0 Ventura off, Santa Barbara City moved a half game ahead with a win at Cuesta. Pierce shot straight late to win the game of the night at Moorpark. Oxnard beat Hancock to earn its first WSC North win.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Santa Barbara 17-8 3-0
Ventura 21-0 2-0
Moorpark 10-10 2-1
L.A. Pierce 15-7 1-1
Oxnard 6-10 1-1
Cuesta 5-16 0-3
Hancock 2-17 0-3

Wednesday's results
L.A. Pierce 73, Moorpark 68
Oxnard 55, Hancock 47
Santa Barbara City 73, Cuesta 50

Saturday's schedule
Moorpark at Ventura, 7 p.m.
Cuesta at Oxnard, 7 p.m.
L.A. Pierce at Santa Barbara City, 7 p.m.

In an early showdown of the WSC North's two 2-0 teams, host Cuesta blew out Santa Barbara City. Oxnard got its first WSC North win and Moorpark survived Pierce.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 18-7 3-0
Santa Barbara 10-13 2-1
Moorpark 12-7 2-1
Ventura 16-6 1-1
Oxnard 8-11 1-1
L.A. Pierce 6-11 0-2
Hancock 5-15 0-3

Wednesday's results
Oxnard 57, Hancock 56
Moorpark 71, L.A. Pierce 57
No. 20 Cuesta 96, Santa Barbara City 70

Saturday's schedule
Moorpark at Ventura, 5 p.m.
Cuesta at Oxnard, 5 p.m.
L.A. Pierce at Santa Barbara City, 5 p.m.

Note: refresh for score updates:

Women's basketball

WSC North

Oxnard 55, Hancock 47 FINAL
-- Hancock's 8-0 run pulled the Bulldogs within 24-20 with 3:42 left in the half.
-- Chloe Bunker scores inside and Amanda Izaguirre splashes a 3-pointer to give OC a 20-8 lead with 6:53 to play in the first half. Seven of Oxnard's nine players have scored already.

L.A. Pierce 73, Moorpark 68 FINAL
-- Pierce hits a 3-pointer to lead 68-66 with 1:07 left.
-- Pierce scores the first six points of the second half to take a 41-36 lead.
-- A 13-2 Moorpark run gives the Raiders a 28-16 lead with seven minutes left in the first half.

Santa Barbara City 73, Cuesta 50 FINAL

Men's basketball

WSC North
Oxnard 57, Hancock 56 FINAL
-- Jonathan Johnson has 19 points and Marc Pajund adds 14 points for Oxnard.
-- Matt Dewaal's free throw with 25.8 seconds left is Oxnard's winning margin.
-- Hancock's Craig Dugan hits two free throws with 51 seconds left to tie the score, 56-56.
-- Pajund's 3-pointer gives Oxnard a 51-50 lead with 3:15 to play.
-- But Molina hits a 3-pointer and Johnson follows with a steal and layup twice within a three-minute span for a 10-0 Oxnard run.
-- Hancock's Jeremy Armstrong scores to cap a 9-2 Hancock run that pushes the Bulldogs ahead 40-35 with 11 minutes to play.
-- Hancock's Jonathan Ramirez drained a 3-pointer to cap a 6-0 spurt which gave the Bulldogs a 31-30 lead with 15:39 left, but Pajund responded for Oxnard with a 3-point play.
-- A pair of Johnson free throws gives Oxnard a 23-21 halftime lead.
-- Matt Dewaal's fallaway jumper evens the score, 12-12, for Oxnard with 7:19 left in the first half.
-- Hancock scored the first six points, before Marc Pajund's 3-point broke a game-opening 5:33 Oxnard drought. Nick Molina followed with a game-tying 3.

Moorpark 71, L.A. Pierce 57 FINAL
-- Pierce's 15-4 run pulls the Brahmas within 48-43 with 10 minutes left.
-- Down 25-24, Moorpark built a double-digit halftime lead with a 15-4 run to end the half.

No. 20 Cuesta 96, Santa Barbara City 70 FINAL
-- In the battle of the division's two 2-0 teams, Cuesta jumped out to a 52-29 halftime lead.

ESPN is reporting that USC quarterback Mark Sanchez will enter the NFL draft.

Two-time All-American safety Taylor Mays announced today that he will return for his 2009 senior season at USC

"There are a lot more things I want to accomplish as a player, a student and a person, things that I've dreamed about for a long time and that are big goals to me," said Mays. "Returning to USC will help me be the best player I can be and put me in the best position possible for the next level."

Said USC head coach Pete Carroll: "We're obviously delighted to learn of Taylor's decision. He and his family did a lot of research and made an educated decision.

"He's one of the most gifted safeties to ever play at USC and he wants to come back and do it one more time."

Click the jump for the news release from USC.

Saturday's Moorpark College at Ventura College men's and women's basketball doubleheader will be simulcast on KVTA 1520 AM Ventura and KKZZ 1400 AM Fillmore, as well as on the Internet on HomefieldSports.com, according to Danny Page, HomefieldSport's director of broadcasting.

One week through WSC North play, Ventura, Santa Barbara City, and Moorpark are tied atop the division standings with perfect 2-0 records.

Kudos to Los Angeles Pierce, however, who gave top-ranked Ventura one of its tightest games of the year Saturday night. Pierce trailed by one point at the half and 11 points late, before falling 98-82. Only two of 21 opponents, Antelope Valley and Fresno, have played the Pirates within single digits.

Ventura has outscored opponents by an average of 26.3 points.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 21-0 2-0
Santa Barbara 16-8 2-0
Moorpark 10-9 2-0
L.A. Pierce 14-7 0-1
Oxnard 5-10 0-1
Cuesta 5-15 0-2
Hancock 2-16 0-2

Saturday's results
No. 1 Ventura 98, Los Angeles Pierce 82
Moorpark 65, Cuesta 45
Santa Barbara City 94, Hancock 59

Wednesday's schedule
Hancock at Oxnard, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Pierce at Moorpark, 7 p.m.
Santa Barbara City at Cuesta, 7 p.m.

One week through WSC North play, the Central Coast has been impressive. Cuesta and Santa Barbara lead the standings and Hancock has lost twice by a total margin of seven points.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 17-7 2-0
Santa Barbara 10-12 2-0
Ventura 16-6 1-1
Moorpark 11-7 1-1
Oxnard 7-11 0-1
L.A. Pierce 6-10 0-1
Hancock 5-14 0-2

Saturday's results
Cuesta 85, Moorpark 71
No. 14 Ventura 85, Los Angeles Pierce 75
Santa Barbara City 76, Hancock 69

Wednesday's schedule
Hancock at Oxnard, 5 p.m.
Los Angeles Pierce at Moorpark, 5 p.m.
Santa Barbara City at Cuesta, 5 p.m.

The Moorpark College women's basketball team improved to 2-0 in the WSC North with a 65-45 win at Cuesta Saturday. Click the jump for the full official box score.

Click the jump for the box score from the MC men's basketball team's 85-71 loss at Cuesta Saturday night.

Note: refresh for score updates:

Men's basketball

WSC North
Cuesta 85, Moorpark 71 FINAL
-- Click the jump for play-by-play updates from San Luis Obispo.
No. 14 Ventura 85, Los Angeles Pierce 75 FINAL
-- Click the jump for updates from cub journalist Pepe Araujo:
Santa Barbara 76, Hancock 69 FINAL

Women's basketball

WSC North

Moorpark 65, Cuesta 45 FINAL
-- Click the jump for play-by-play updates from San Luis Obispo.
No. 1 Ventura 98, Los Angeles Pierce 82 FINAL
-- Click the jump for updates from cub journalist Jordan Clegg:
Santa Barbara City 94, Hancock 59 FINAL

Without head coach Remy McCarthy (neck surgery) and second leading scorer Matt Hornbuckle (foot), the Moorpark College men's basketball team (11-6) visits San Luis Obispo tonight for a meeting between two of the WSC North's three 1-0 teams.

After breaking the Raiders four-game losing streak with a last-second win over Hancock Wednesday, coach Mick Cady looks for his first winning streak guiding the Raiders.

"It's been an issue for the last five games. We just have not shot the ball very well."

Moorpark lost a 14-point lead to Hancock by scoring 10 points in 10 minutes in the second half.

"Teams are going to come back when you score like that. We're just hoping it starts to turn a little bit."

Moorpark has been without Hornbuckle since its loss two weeks ago at Sequoias. Cady argued that the loss was bigger than the Raiders missing their head coach.

"Who would you rather lose, a coach or a player? I'm not going to score any points tonight."

Shane Foster will get the bulk of Hornbuckle's minutes tonight.

From the San Luis Obispo Tribune, Cuesta men's basketball coach Rusty Blair on his team's 67-64 win over Ventura Wednesday:

"Anytime you can beat Ventura, it's absolutely huge in our (rivalry)."

Sophomore point guard Dwight Jones hit a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds to play as the Moorpark College men's basketball team held off Hancock, 65-64, Wednesday night at Raider Pavilion.

Moorpark (11-6) had lost its previous four games without head coach Remy McCarthy, who is recovering from spinal surgery.

McCarthy actually attended the Ventura-Cuesta game and was a halftime guest of Danny Page's on the HomefieldSports.com broadcast.

Searching to regain that Western State Conference magic of a year ago, the Oxnard College men's basketball team held a five-point lead at the WSC North's hottest team Santa Barbara City College, late in Wednesday night's conference opener.

But a 13-2 Vaqueros run pushed Santa Barbara to its fourth straight win, 66-62.

Oxnard's Nick Molina held high-scoring Santa Barbara guard Mark Keeten to seven points, but the Condors turned the ball over 25 times.

"They hit two NBA 3s and banked one of them in," said Oxnard assistant Jeff Perrault. "It was that kind of night."

Santa Barbara may be 9-12, but they've won their last four games and pushed top-ranked Fresno City to overtime in the fifth.

As all eyes were on the thrilling conclusion of the men's basketball game in the Ventura College Athletic Event Center Wednesday night, Erika Ward was alone next door in the small gymnasium shooting.

"I went in there alone after halftime to shoot," said Ward.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

"I've done it a couple of times before," said Ward.

The pregame ritual of Ferraro's pasta and a shootaround has new reverence after Ward had made 19 of 23 shots, including 10 of 12 3-pointers, to set the Western State Conference scoring record with 51 points.

Highlights of the sharpshooting exhibition included a 30-footer at the first half buzzer and a 4-point play in the second half.

"Never in my life," said Ward, whose high school high was 26. "It was the craziest game for me. Everything was going in and my teammates trusted me and kept passing it."
Point guards Michelle Santizo and Amanda Padilla combined for 20 assists on the night.

"All the credit goes to my teammates," said Ward.

With a previous high of 18 points, Ward saw her scoring average climb two full points from 11.1 to 13.1.

Megan Iloff of East Los Angeles and Rachel Gregory of Cabrillo shared the state's previous high game with 39 points pierce. Moorpark sophomore Tiffany Hurd also dropped 37 points on Riverside.

Need another illustration of the potential for a dramatic men's basketball race ahead?

Ventura brought the best record (15-5) and ranking (No. 14) into WSC North play and promptly suffered its first on-court loss to open WSC North play since Taft beat the Pirates 105-89 win to open the 1984-85 campaign, one year before Phil Mathews' arrival.

Although, according to the WSC's official history, Ventura forfeited its entire 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons and several seasons this decade could be in similar jeopardy after the Ventura County district attorney's office wraps up its on-going investigation of the program.

The WSC North men's basketball race may be its most competitive in years.

The conference campaign's first three games Wednesday were decided by a combined seven points.

Veteran coaches like Remy McCarthy of Moorpark and rookie coaches like Jason Cunningham of Oxnard had already agreed that a 9-3 season may be enough to win the division.

"It'll be three losses that wins this league," said McCarthy Tuesday.

Investigator Rob Briner of the Ventura County district attorney's office Thursday on the state of the 14-month-old community college basketball investigation:

"Pretty much the same status. We're still evaluating evidence.... It's still an on-going, open investigation with new leads coming in on a consistent basis.

"We take this investigation very seriously and we've dedicated significant resources into the investigation."

Briner wouldn't give a timetable, but he did add:

"The investigation is in its final stages."

Click the jump for the full boxes from the Ventura College men's and women's basketball teams games against Cuesta Wednesday night.

Amanda Padilla told Erika Ward to keep shooting.

The freshman from Royal High couldn't figure out why.

Until the announcement came over the public address system.

Ward scored a Western State Conference-record 51 points, including a school-record 10 3-pointers, as the No. 1 Ventura College women's basketball team roared to a 114-36 win over visiting Cuesta Wednesday night at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Highlights of the sharpshooting exhibition included a 30-footer at the first half buzzer and a 4-point play in the second half.

"I've never done that in my life," said Ward, whose previous collegiate high was 18 points.
"My dad (Jim Ward) had been waiting for me to score 20 and I got all the way to 50."

Ward's 19-of-23 shooting performance, including 10 of 12 from 3-point land, trumped records of two Ventura all-time greats -- Julie Hardy's 14-year-old 49-point performance and Renae Hofmann's 9-year-old seven 3-point performance.

No other Ventura women's player has broken the 40-point barrier.

The bench was aware of the records in danger shortly after Ward buried a 30-footer at the first half buzzer for 30 points, six 3-pointers and a 61-16 Ventura lead.

"We all knew and no one told her," said center Julie Heurung.

Ventura's 15 3-pointers, on 31 attempts, also set a school record.

Ventura's 114 points were the sixth-most in school history and the most allowed by Cuesta (5-14) in a game.

Note: refresh for score updates:

Men's basketball

WSC North
Cuesta 65, No. 14 Ventura 62 FINAL
Santa Barbara City 66, Oxnard 62 FINAL
Moorpark 65, Hancock 64 FINAL

Women's basketball

WSC North
No. 1 Ventura 114, Cuesta 36 FINAL
-- Freshman Erika Ward set a WSC record with 51 points and a school record with 10 3-pointers. She was 19 of 23 from the field and 10 of 12 from 3-point land. She had 30 points and six 3-pointers in the first half.
Moorpark 69, Hancock 58 FINAL
-- Reyneisha Mays had 26 points for Moorpark.
Santa Barbara City 64, Oxnard 48
-- Amanda Izaquirre had 10 points as the Condors let a late 3-point lead slip.

Keep checking back for my WSC North men's basketball preview, which I should post sometime around midday today.

Until then, you can enjoy the package on Ventura College basketball and its coaching staff which ran in today's print editions.

Here is my A1 story and here is David Lassen's excellent column.