WOMEN

Southern California regional semfinal

No. 1 Ventura 73, No. 18 Citrus 53 2ND 1:00
Updates from Joe Curley from Ventura:
7:00 -- Ward's 3-pointer makes it 60-45.
12:54 -- Selleh's 3-point play makes it 12:54.
17:00 -- Heurung's putback and Grigg's 3-pointer makes it 43-31.
18:18 -- Citrus scores 7 of the first 9 points of the half to pull within 38-31.
HALF
3:41 -- Griggs runs the floor for a breakaway layup and a 33-21 lead.
5:25 -- Selleh's 3-pointer makes it 29-19.
7:20 -- Ward's horse shot high off the glass puts VC up 26-17.
8:07 -- Donielle Grigg's 3-pointer from the top of the key, 24-17 VC.
11:45 -- Amanda Padilla finds Chanelle Brennan for a transition bucket and Erika Ward and Jessi Selleh do the same for a quick for points and a 17-12 lead for VC.
13:27 -- Heurung's is quick to pick up a loose ball in the paint and puts it up for seven early points, 13-12 VC.
14:06 -- Jazmine Matthews' layup gives Citrus a 6-0 run to take a 12-11 lead.
15:09 -- Heurung puts back a miss for a 11-6 VC lead

MEN

Southern California regional semfinal

No. 2 Citrus 47, Victor Valley 24 1ST 4:28
No. 4 San Diego City 29, No. 13 Antelope Valley 31 HALF

Community College women's basketball
Southern California regional playoff pairings

Bracket I
Saturday -- No. 16 Cerritos (21-12) at No. 1 Mt. San Antonio (29-3).
Next Saturday -- No. 9 Fullerton (24-9) vs. Mount SAC-Cerritos.

Bracket II
Saturday -- No. 18 Citrus (23-10) at No. 2 Ventura (31-0).
Next Saturday -- No. 7 Canyons (24-8) vs. Ventura-Citrus

Bracket III
Saturday -- No. 11 Cypress (22-9) at No. 6 Los Angeles City (26-4).
Next Saturday -- No. 3 Antelope Valley (27-9) vs. Los Angeles City-Cypress

Bracket IV
Saturday -- No. 12 San Bernardino Valley (20-11) at No. 5 Palomar (26-4).
Next Saturday -- No. 4 Pasadena (29-4) vs. San Bernardino-Palomar

Note: Saturday, March 7 advance to state tournament.

Community College men's basketball
Southern California regional playoff pairings

Bracket I
Saturday -- No. 17 Cerritos (15-13) at No. 1 Saddleback (25-7).
Next Saturday -- No. 8 Chaffey (26-6) vs. Saddleback-Cerritos

Bracket II
Saturday -- No. 16 Victor Valley (19-14) at No. 2 Citrus (27-4).
Next Saturday -- No. 7 Riverside (25-7) vs. Victor Valley-Citrus

Bracket III
Saturday -- No. 19 West LA (17-15) at No. 3 San Bernardino Valley.
Next Saturday -- No. 11 Miramar (22-7) vs. West LA-San Bernardino Valley

Bracket IV.
Saturday -- No. 13 Antelope Valley (22-14) at No. 4 San Diego City (26-4).
Next Saturday -- No. 5 Mt. San Jacinto (22-10) vs. Antelope Valley-San Diego City.

Note: Saturday, March 7 winners advance to state tournament berths.

MEN

Southern California regional semifinals

Bracket I -- No. 8 Chaffey 82, No. 9 Bakersfield 78
Bracket II-- No. 7 Riverside 83, No. 10 Ventura 66
Bracket III-- No. 11 Miramar 96, No. 6 Fullerton 89
Bracket IV-- No. 5 Mt. San Jacinto 97, No. 12 Los Angeles City 84

WOMEN

Southern California regional semifinals

Bracket I-- No. 9 Fullerton 52, No. 8 Rio Hondo 49
Bracket II -- No. 7 Canyons 81, No. 10 Mt. San Jacinto 77
Bracket III -- No. 3 Antelope Valley 64, No. 14 Orange Coast 41
Bracket IV -- No. 4 Pasadena 69, No. 13 Chaffey 57

MEN

Southern California regional quarterfinal

No. 7 Riverside 83, No. 10 Ventura 66 FINAL
Outstanding wing Robbie Robinson had 33 points on 9 of 13 shooting, 10 rebounds and punctuated the performance with a nasty ally-oop dunk as No. 7-seed Riverside College handed No. 10 Ventura both its biggest and toughest loss of the season, 83-66, in the Southern California regional semifinals at Wheeler Gym.
In their Ventura farewells, Benson had a team-high 15 points and Dee Pinkard added 14 points, all in the second half.
5:00 -- Hunter's free throw pulls VC within 62-50.
7:00 -- Benson's 3-point play makes it a 9-0 run for VC.
7:30 -- Pinkard's drive gives him eight points in two minutes.
8:00 -- Pinkard's 3-pointer matches Jovan Bryant's trey, 60-41.
10:10 -- Pinkard's breakaway layup comes after two Tigers collide, mkaing it 56-35.
10:42 -- Abidoye and Hunter both have four fouls after a double foul on Hunter and an RCC player.
11:18 -- A techincal foul on Prince Abidoye for slapping the ground is followed by four free throws by Robinson for a 54-31 lead.
12:55 -- A 8-1 Riverside run means the Tigers have their largest lead 50-31 .
14:35 -- Robinson's third 3-pointer of the game makes it 45-30 Tigers.
HALF -- Robbie Robinson has 15 points of 6 of 9 shooting with six rebounds and the sickest dunk I've seen this season. Besides Robinson, RCC is 8 of 25 from the field. Randy Hunter has eight points and Will Faiivae has seven points. VC is 6 of 21 shooting with 14 turnovers. VC is still in the game by going 12 of 16 from the line.
0:50 -- After the Pirates spurn a great chance to get it back to single digits, Damon Buford splashes a killer 3-pointer from the left wing to push it back to double digits.
1:37 -- Benson picks up his third foul.
3:43 -- Hunter, Faiivae and Benson combined to make 5 of 6 from the foul line to pull VC within 30-18.
6:40 -- Hunter gets his third foul.
7:00 -- Ventura makes just three of its first 14 shots.
7:54 -- Randy Hunter transition dunk brings Ventura back within 27-11.
9:32 -- Robinson's third 3-pointer of the first half makes it 27-9, Riverside, its largest lead of the half. Ventura starts 2 of 12 with eight turnovers.
11:47 -- VC has made one of its first seven field goals.
12:57 -- Jeremiah Slowik knocks down a 3-pointer to pull VC within 14-7.
14:00 -- VC starts 1 of 7 from the field.
14:59 -- Robbie Robinson's nasty alley-oop slam in transition puts Riverside up, 13-4.

WOMEN

Southern California regional quarterfinal

No. 7 Canyons 81, No. 10 Mount San Jacinto 77 FINAL

Following a 3 p.m. shootaround at Wheeler Gym, Ventura College men's basketball captain Danny Benson pronounced the Pirates ready for their regional semifinal at No. 7 Riverside Saturday night.

"I feel like we're ready," said Benson. "We've practice hard all week. I feel like we're well prepared.

The team was informed head coach Ned Mircetic would not be joining the team after the conclusion of the shootaround.

"We've got to bring it back for coach Mircetic," said Benson. "We did it all through December without him. He's prepared us well and we want to practice again Monday."

Ventura College men's basketball head coach Ned Mircetic has turned the keys over to his assistant coaches, Will Cowen and Jon Wyers.

While the No. 10 Pirates (24-8) arrived in Riverside for its regional semifinal against the No. 7-seeded Tigers (25-7) Thursday night, Mircetic had planned to attempt to drive east for the game following the Ventura women's practice this afternoon.

"I'm turning it over to Will and Wyers," said Mircetic by phone as the Pirates went through a shootaround at Wheeler Gym at 3 p.m. "If they go on to play next week, they're going to be without me then too.

"It's less disruptive. They took the team out there last night. They got the flow going. I would disrupt the flow they got going."

The Pirates were 9-1 without Mircetic in November and December.

"I have absolute conference in Will Cowen, Jon Wyers and the players. My rushing out there can't make things any better... My expecation is that they will win, as they so many times did in December."

Instead, Mircetic will scout the women's regional semifinal between No. 7 Canyons and No. 10 Mount San Jacinto, the winner of which may come to the VC Athletic Event Center next weekend.

MEN

Southern California regional quarterfinal

No. 13 Antelope Valley 67, No. 20 Moorpark 47 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley in Lancaster
3:45 -- AVC seals the game with a 9-0 run.
8:30 -- Jones' steal and breakaway dunk pulls Moorpark within 49-42.
9:00 -- Sean Bryan's 3-point play pulls Moorpark within 49-40.
13:20 -- Cody's two free throws gives AVC its biggest lead, 41-34.
15:30 -- Shane Foster's jumper is followed by a 3-pointer by Bowman as Moorpark pulls within 35-32.
17:15 -- Singleton's 3-pointer and a Moton dunk gives AVC its biggest lead, 35-27.
18:25 -- AVC scores the first five points of the second half to open up its biggest lead, 30-25. But a technical foul allows Jones to get a pair of free throws for the Raiders and stem the big.
HALF -- Moorpark PG Dwight Jones has a game-high eight points at the half, followed by five points by BJ Wortham. AVC, with its long front line, is led by seven points by Jerome Moton and five blocks by Kyisean Reed, which is one block from the school record already. Both teams aren't having good days shooting. Moorpark is 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) and AVC is 9 of 25 (36 percent).
0:00 -- Taylor's layup was goaltended at the buzzer but it shockingly isn't called. AVC has an incredible eight blocks in the first half.
2:57 -- Moton's dunk evens the score for AVC, 23-23.
9:02 -- Braylin Bowman's 3-pointer pushes Moorpark ahead 20-16.
11:30 -- Jones' 3-point play and Rodgers move inside put Moorpark up 15-13.
13:00 -- Justin Taylor's drive ends a four-minute Moorpark drought to pull the Raiders within 11-10.
14:48 -- Antelope Valley responds with a 6-0 run to take a 9-8 lead.
16:52 -- Dwight Jones and Matt Mazarei splash 3-pointers as the Raiders open up an early 8-3 lead.

No. 14 Cuesta 63, No. 19 West Los Angeles 65 FINAL
0:00 -- West LA got a backcourt court with 1.8 seconds left in the first half and Schumacher banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Cuesta, which trailed by 12 points after 12 minutes, a 34-31 halftime lead.

WOMEN

Southern California regional quarterfinal

No. 15 Pierce 77, No. 18 Citrus 78 FINAL
-- Richardson missed a potential game-winning layup at the end.

No. 16 Cerritos def. No. 17 Santa Barbara City FINAL

The Moorpark College and Cuesta College men's basketball teams will represent the WSC North in the Southern California regional quarterfinals tonight.

No. 20 Moorpark (17-11) visits No. 13 Antelope Valley (20-14) while No. 14 Cuesta (24-10) hosts No. 19 West Los Angeles (16-15).

I'll be out in Lancaster covering the game with HomefieldSport.com's Danny Page. Your options to follow the game live are live play-by-play updates right here on the College Sports Blog, or our live radio broadcast from Marauder Gym at HomefieldSports.com

Mr. Page and I are planning on doing Ventura County Sports Night live via remote from Lancaster at 5 p.m, where I'm sure we'll be discussing plenty of issues from the CIF and CCCAA postseasons.

I should also have some updates live from San Luis Obispo on the blog, perhaps courtesy from Greg Murphy or Pete Schuler. Although it looks like the Cougars will also have Internet radio coverage on their site, live at 6:50 p.m.

Community College men's basketball

Mike Rodgers feature: For Rodgers, Seeing is Believing by Joe Curley

NCAA Division III

Cal Lutheran notebook: Knudsen's hot streak has come at good time for Kingsmen by Rhiannon Potkey

No. 20 Moorpark (17-11) at No. 13 Antelope Valley (20-14)
Southern California regional quarterfinal, Bracket IV
Maurader Gym, Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Internet radio: Homefieldsports.com
League Finish: Moorpark, WSC North third place; Antelope Valley, Foothill third place.
Head to head: Did not play.
Vs. Playoff teams: Moorpark 1-6, Antelope Valley 7-10.
Team Offense: Moorpark 77.6 (17th), Antelope Valley 70.3 (54th).
Team Defense: Moorpark 74.5.1 (65th), Antelope Valley 67.0 (34)
Game Facts: The Raiders squeaked into the field despite only one win over a winning team. Star guard Dwight Jones called it his "birthday present." But it's the same position as the 2005 Moorpark team which was seeded No. 20, and upset Cerritos and No. 3 Mount San Antonio on the way to the regional final. "It's the kind of thing you'll never forget," said Moorpark coach Remy McCarthy. "This is what basketball is all about." Moorpark has a tall task against an Antelope Valley team doubling as the state's Jekyll-and-Hyde team. Headlined by G Rod Singlton and PF Kyisean Reed, the Mauraders are talented, but inconsistent.

Bracket I
Wednesday -- No. 17 San Mateo (18-12) at No. 16 Sacramento (12-14).
Friday -- No. 9 (10) Skyline (23-6) vs. No. 8 Lassen (18-11).
Saturday -- No. 16-No. 17 winner vs. No. 1 San Francisco (31-2), 7:30 PM.

Bracket II
Wednesday -- No. 18 Solano (17-12) at No. 15 Chabot (13-16).
Friday -- No. 10 (9) Siskiyous at No. 7 Ohlone (18-8).
Saturday -- No. 18-No. 15 winner at No. 2 San Joaquin Delta (27-6).

Bracket III
Friday -- No. 14 Butte (16-14) at No. 3 Foothill (25-6).
Saturday -- No. 11 Shasta (20-10) at No. 6 Santa Rosa (20-12).

Bracket IV
Friday -- No. 13 San Jose (18-14) at No. 4 Fresno (28-6).
Saturday -- No. 12 Merced (17-14) at No. 5 Sierra (22-10).

Notes: Game times at 7:00 PM unless otherwise stated.
Friday-Saturday winners play Saturday, March 7 at the higher seed, time TBD

Community College basketball

Men's SoCal playoff field: Moorpark, VC men given road assignments by Joe Curley.

Women's SoCal playoff field: Seeding less than perfect for VC by Joe Curley.

From around the state:

Fresno Bee: Fresno City squads to host playoff openers

Long Beach Press-Telegraph: Cerritos surprised to open playoffs on road

Pasadena Star-News: The road to a state title runs through PCC, Mount SAC

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Rio Hondo women reach postseason

Sophomore center Julie Heurung on the top-ranked and unbeaten Ventura College women's basketball being seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs:

"If you want to get technical, yeah we got robbed. But it doesn't affect anything because we still have the five games to go.

"We still have to beat the teams put in front of us."

Ventura College sophomore guard Jessi Selleh on the top-ranked and unbeaten Ventura College women's basketball being seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs:

"We're not happy that we're being snubbed for something that we deserve. It's a universal feeling among the girls."

Ventura defeated Mount SAC, 65-43, in the final of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions Nov. 30 and 71-54 in the final of the Gilcrest Invitational on Dec. 7.

"I think it would be one thing if we didn't beat the team that was seeded No. 1, but the fact that we played them and we beat them twice says something.

"Going undefeated is hard enough. You get stripped of something when you're not in the place that you should be."

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on the top-ranked and unbeaten Pirates being seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs Monday:

"We depend on a numerical formula and, at times, it's not accurate. It doesn't represent the reality that is the season.

"But that's our system and all of us know it going in. This isn't the first year that some teams have gotten flipped around. This is just another year that it's happened.

(does the team feel slighted?)

"No, this is probably some delayed justice for Mount SAC, because last year this happened to them and they should have been No. 1."

(is the system broken?)

"It doesn't matter now because it is what it is. But it does matter that we continue to work in the offseason to make it more reflective of the actual reality of the season."

(should Ventura have been the No. 1 seed?)

"It all depends on what the definition of No. 1 seed is. Under the current definition, Cuesta, Hancock and Oxnard needed to be significantly better in order for us to be the No. 1 seed."

"The whole conference got taken down, that's why Pierce is so low. That's why Santa Barbara is so low."

"The sad part of that is Pierce is in our bracket. All three of us would have been higher with a better conference RPI and maybe Moorpark would have gotten in, too."

(so its the WSC North's fault?)

"Our conference isn't up to par numerically, because of a combination of strength of schedule and win-loss percentage. Some of our teams played weak schedule and didn't win games in those weak schedules.

Santa Ana coach Flo Luppani, the chair of the women's seeding committee, on the top-ranked and unbeaten Ventura College women's basketball being seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs:

"We as a committee are entrusted to follow our guidelines," said Luppani. "It isn't a perfect system, but its very objective."

"Basically, the way the seeding in done... It's done on a scoresheet. We're very objective. We've very factual about it."

"What the numbers show is your body of work for the entire season."

"We as a committee are entrusted to follow our guidelines."

"I don't think there's a perfect system. With over 90 teams in the state, then you can get more than 90 opinions.

"It isn't a perfect system, but its very objective."

"We checked every single number."

(on the need to change the system)

"I don't think it's the neither the time nor place to talk about it."

(Was Ventura penalized for being in the WSC North?)

"The intention is never to penalize a team but to measure teams entire body of work.
We're not penalizing. It's a misconception. "

"It is the way it is. Ventura, Mount SAC, whatever team, no more can they control what conference they are in..."

Santa Barbara City coach Sandrine Krul, the WSC North representative on the seeding committee on the top-ranked and unbeaten Ventura College women's basketball team being seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs:

"I can only speak for myself. But I left there saying because of one criteria, Ventura (fell to No. 2.) I didn't feel comfortable about that."

"It is a great system in terms of the numbers. You can't manipulate. You can't politic. But there has to be a mechanism in place for the committee to talk about the type of situations that happened in the past two years."

"I do think that we can look at it."

Ventura College men's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on the WSC North co-champion being seeded No. 10 and facing No. 7 Riverside in Friday's regional final:

(on being seeded No. 10)

"I was hoping to be a little higher considering we're a conference champion traveling to a third-place team and we're seeded behind some teams we beat.
"But it is what it is."

(on the parity in Southern California)

"Between the top and the bottom, there really isn't much space. It's a good year for community community basketball. I think most teams that are in the playoffs this year feel like they have a shot and there's probably a number of teams right now that feel like, had they made the playoffs, they'd have had a shot.

(on traveling Riverside, which means the first women's coach to win three straight California community college state championships visits the gym of the first men's coach to win three straight California community college state championship)

"When Tark was there at Riverside was there, I was still a kid just beginning to understand basketball. When we arrive at the gym, we'll be pleasantly surprised with the colors. We should feel right at home."

(on Riverside)

"Riverside is going to be well-coached. They'll play hard. One thing I'm going to try to get across to the kids is that this game is the most important game that they'll ever play. This game is the gateway for the season to continue.

"All our energy and our entire focus has to be almost laser-like Friday at 7 p.m. Our energy and our focus has to be at its sharpest point."

"Everything we've done and prepared for the entire year has to be executed at its highest level. There cannot be a single play that we leave to chance. You have to have the mental and emotional discipline to play our absolute best for 40 minutes."

(Is this Ventura team capable of winning the state championship?)

"Of course, but it's capable of going out in the first round, too."

(On where the Pirates stand)

"We've made great plays, we've played great games. But we've also turned the ball over and been sloppy in our execution.

"For many of the kids this year, the discipline of playing hard, the discipline of keeping a tight focus on being a great teammate, has been a learning experience."

"This group, if we could keep this group together for another year and let them age and mature, they would have a clearer understanding of everything being taught and we'd be a far-superior team. But the negative side of community college coaching is you don't have the opportunity to be with the kids the third and fourth year, when you get to take advantage of all the learning that has gone on."

Moorpark College men's basketball coach Remy McCarthy on squeaking into the Southern California regional playoffs as the No. 20 and final seed and playing No. 13 Antelope Valley in the regional finals:

"We're in it, baby."

(on getting a second chance after almost seeing the bubble burst Saturday with a 81-79 loss to Oxnard)

"It absolutely is. There's no doubt about it. It's a chance for redemption. We didn't like that feeling we had Saturday night. We have a way to alleviate it. We just have to go do it.

(On AVC)

"They beat San Bernardino Valley three times and they won at Riverside. They're a good team. They've got a coach with a lot of state tournament experience. He's been to two state finals and won one.

"We've absolutely got our hands full."

(on the field)

"There's a number of teams that can win it, including Antelope Valley, by the way.
If I'm going to give you a team to watch, it's San Diego City -- another team in our bracket by the way -- because of Malcolm Thomas. He's a major force."

"He can dominate a game."

(more parity)

"(Defending state champion) Citrus has been consistently good all year but they haven't been blowing anybody out and they lost to Santa Monica. That tells you everything you need to know."

(on Moorpark making the regional final last time it was in this position as a No. 20 in 2005, upsetting Cerritos and Mount SAC along the way)

"Exactly."

Antelope Valley College men's basketball coach Dieter Horton told the Antelope Valley Press Monday that he was concerned with Moorpark's pressing style ahead of the teams' regional quarterfinal Wednesday in Palmdale:

"It's not conventional. It forces you into tough decisions."

"The key is we can't turn the ball over... Our guards have to handle the ball. If they don't turn the ball over then we're fine, if they do then it will be a long night."

Riverside College coach John Smith on being seeded No. 7 and drawing the No. 10 Ventura College men's basketball team.

"I don't know much about Ventura. I'm working on that as we speak."

(on where Tigers are at after the loss of Washington-bound center Charles Garcia)

"We're playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state without our all-state player You look at any team in the Top 8, take their best player away and see if they can still compete in our conference."

"They're still a strong enough team to make a statement in the playoffs."

(on the parity in Southern California)

"There was a lot of parity this year. There was not just one clear cut team. Citrus last year was deservingly the best team in the state.But this year, there's not one team head and shoulders above the others. In that parity anything can happen."

(on moving on)

"I love where our team is at. Taking the loss of Charles Garcia and moving forward. We're not even focused on that loss anymore."

Community College women's basketball
Southern California regional playoff pairings

Bracket I
Wednesday -- No. 17 Santa Barbara (22-12 at No. 16 Cerritos (20-12).
Friday -- No. 9 Fullerton (23-9) vs. No. 8 Rio Hondo (26-6).
Saturday -- No. 16-No. 17 winner vs. No. 1 Mt. San Antonio (29-3).

Bracket II
Wednesday --No. 18 Citrus (22-10) at No. 15 Los Angeles Pierce (23-9).
Friday -- No. 10 Mt. San Jacinto (23-8) at No. 7 Canyons (23-8).
Saturday -- No. 18-No. 15 winner at No. 2 Ventura (31-0).

Bracket III
Friday -- No. 14 Orange Coast (21-10) at No. 3 Antelope Valley (26-9).
Saturday -- No. 11 Cypress (22-9) at No. 6 Los Angeles City (26-4).

Bracket IV
Friday -- No. 13 Chaffey (22-9) at No. 4 Pasadena (28-4).
Saturday -- No. 12 San Bernardino Valley (20-11) at No. 5 Palomar (26-4).

Note: Friday-Saturday winners play Saturday, March 7 for state tournament berths.

Community College men's basketball
Southern California regional playoff pairings

Bracket I
Wednesday -- No. 17 Cerritos (14-13) at No. 16 LA Valley (16-11).
Friday -- No. 9 Bakersfield (23-9) at No. 8 Chaffey (26-6).
Saturday -- No. 17-No. 16 at No. 1 Saddleback (25-7).

Bracket II
Wednesday -- No. 18 Long Beach City (15-14) at No. 16 Victor Valley (18-14).
Friday -- No. 10 Ventura (24-8) at No. 7 Riverside (25-7).
Saturday -- No. 18-No. 16 at No. 2 Citrus (27-4).

Bracket III
Wednesday -- No. 19 West LA (16-15) at No. 14 Cuesta (24-10).
Friday -- No. 11 Miramar (22-7) at No. 6 Fullerton (18-10).
Saturday -- No. 19-No. 14 at No. 3 San Bernardino Valley.

Bracket IV
Wednesday -- No. 20 Moorpark (17-11) at No. 13 Antelope Valley (20-14).
Friday -- No. 12 Los Angeles City (22-8) at No. 5 Mt. San Jacinto (22-10).
Saturday -- No. 20-No. 13 at No. 4 San Diego City (26-4).

Note: Friday-Saturday winners play Saturday, March 7 for state tournament berths.

As feared, the unbeaten Ventura College women's basketball team, which topped the state coaches' poll for the past 12 weeks, was seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Pirates (31-0) will host the winner of Wednesday's regional semifinal between No. 15 Citrus and No. 20 Los Angeles Pierce.

The Ventura College men's basketball team has been seeded No. 10 in the Southern California regional playoffs and will play a regional semifinal at No. 7 Riverside Friday night.

The Moorpark College men's basketball team was the final team into the field at No. 20. The Raiders will play a regional quarterfinal game at No. 13 Antelope Valley Wednesday night.

A public thanks to coaches Wyers and Hester for sharing their work on the bracket projections. The number crunching can get long and tedious and we thank them for sharing.

Plus, it's always exciting to try to figure out how the pieces of the puzzle will fit together Monday and over the next three weeks, perhaps the best time of the year.

For weeks, the Ventura College women's basketball coaches have seen the scenario slowly unfold.

The state's only unbeaten team, which spent the last 12 weeks of the season atop the state poll, may not be the top seed come the release of the Southern California regional playoff pairings Monday.

Although Ventura is expected to be ranked No. 1 in three of the five seeding criteria, it may be weighed down -- below Mount San Antonio -- by the numerical weakness of its conference.

"We're limited to a numerical formula that doesn't have any wiggle room," said Ventura coach Ned Mircetic Saturday. "It's something we have no control over, the wins and losses of the entire league."

The scenario may not seem like a big deal, but it would completely alter the five-team path the Pirates would face over the next three weeks.

Trying to figure out how the perfect 31-0 team that has topped the polls for 12 straight weeks, leads three of the five seeding criteria and defeated both the projected No. 1 and No. 3 seeds twice will be seeded No. 2 in the Southern California regional women's basketball playoffs?

You're not alone.

But barring something unprecedented by the seeding committee, that's the way it looks like Monday's seeding meeting will shake out for the Ventura College women's basketball team.

It all comes down to how the numbers come together. Ventura may be No. 1 in winning percentage, non-conference RPI and wins over teams with .500 or better records, as well as No. 2 in total season RPI.

But the Pirates are dragged down by the comparative weakness of the Western State Conference's North Division, which gives them the ninth-best figure in conference RPI, despite a perfect 12-0 WSC North record with a better than 30 points per game margin.

Meanwhile, three-time defending Mount SAC is first in the two criteria Ventura isn't, total season RPI and conference RPI, and second in the other three criteria.

Which means the two teams match up like this:

1. Mount SAC 2+2+1+1+2.5=8.5
2. Ventura 1+1+2+9.0+1=14.0

Although some Ventura fans will certainly look at those numbers and see Ventura winning head-to-head, three categories to two (on top of their two head-to-head victories over the Mounties this year in Ventura and Visalia).

Here's one way the early Southern California regional women's basketball playoff projection by Ventura College assistant coach Robin Hester might look in bracket form.

Note: The games in parenthesis are Wednesday's regional quarterfinals. The winners of those games will visit the Top 2 seeds in regional semifinals on Saturday, when the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds also play. The other regional semfinal games will be played on Friday.

Bracket 1
(No. 17 Citrus at No. 16 Cerritos) at No. 1 Mount San Antonio
No. 9 Cypress at No. 8 Fullerton

Bracket 2
(No. 18 Santa Barbara at No. 15 Los Angeles Pierce ) at No. 2 Ventura*
No. 10 Cypress at No. 7 Canyons

Bracket 3
No. 14 Orange Coast at No. 3 Antelope Valley
No. 11 Mount San Jacinto at No. 6 Los Angeles City

Bracket 4
No. 13 Chaffey at No. 4 Palomar
No. 12 Rio Hondo at No. 5 Pasadena City

Postscript: Obviously, something must be done to ensure that the WSC North trio of Ventura, Pierce and Santa Barbara aren't all muddled together in one bracket. Perhaps that is one excuse the committee can use to make unbeaten Ventura the top seed and Mount SAC the second seed.

Here's the early projection of the Southern California regional women's basketball playoffs, as projected by Ventura College assistant coach Robin Hester in the late hours on Saturday night.

Note: The numbers alongside each school are the team's rankings in the five seeding criteria, with the total of the five numbers ultimately determining the rankings)

Team (Winning% +Non-Conference RPI+Total Season RPI+Conference RPI+Wins over winning teams = Total)

1. Mount SAC (2+2+1+1+2.5=8.5)
2. Ventura (1+1+2+9.0+1=14.0)
3. Antelope Valley (7+3+3+4.5+2.5=20.0)
4. Palomar (5+4+4+12+6=31.0)
5. Pasadena City (3+8+5+7+11=34)
6. Los Angeles City (4+5+6+13+7.5=35.5)
7. Canyons (8.5+11+9+8+4.5=41.0)
8. Fullerton (10+14+10+2.5+11=47.5)
9. San Bernardino Valley (17+12+7+4.5+11=51.5)
10. Cypress (11.5+10+13+2.5+14.5=51.5)
11. Mount San Jacinto (8.5+6+8+18.5+11=52.0)
12. Rio Hondo (6+7+12+26+4.5=55.5)
13. Chaffey (13.5+9+11+18.5+7.5=59.5)
14. Orange Coast (15.5+18+14+10+14.5=72.0)
15. Los Angeles Pierce (11.5+16+15+14+17.5=74.0)
16. Cerritos (19+15+18+6+19=77.0)
17. Citrus (15.5+13+19+15+17.5=80.0)
18. Santa Barbara City (18+17+17+21+11=84.0)

(And the schools just missing the cut were No. 19 Riverside, No. 20 Grossmont, No. 21 El Camino, No. 22 Irvine Valley, No. 23 MiraCosta, No. 24 Glendale and No. 25 West LA)

Postscript: Coach Hester did point out that this projection was done without some of the complex tiebreakers, which might shake up some of the slotting. But I figure this still gives us a good early glimpse.

Here's a few notes from Ventura College assistant coach Jon Wyers' early stab at the Southern California regional men's basketball playoff pairings:

Defending state champion Citrus, which earned the top seed, had by far the best criteria. The Owls had the best record (27-4), the best RPI figure , the most wins over winning teams (15) and the most wins over teams with 20 or more wins (9).

No. 2 Saddleback had the best record over conference champions (8-1).

We'll have more notes on how the individual critera looks as we get more time to crunch the numbers.

Here's one way the early Southern California regional playoff projection by Ventura College assistant coach Jon Wyers might look in bracket form.

Note: The games in parenthesis are Wednesday's regional quarterfinals. The winners of those games will visit the Top 4 seeds in regional semifinals on Saturday. The other regional semfinal games (pitting the No. 5 through No. 12 seeds will be played on Friday.

Bracket 1
(No. 17 Moorpark at No. 16 Victor Valley) at No. 1 Citrus
No. 9 Cuesta at No. 8 Antelope Valley

Bracket 2
(No. 18 Los Angeles Trade Tech at No. 15 Los Angeles Valley) at No. 2 Saddleback
No. 10 Ventura at No. 7 Bakersfield

Bracket 3
(No. 19 West Los Angeles at No. 14 Riverside) at No. 3 San Bernardino Valley
No. 11 Miramar at No. 6 Chaffey

Bracket 4

(No. 20 Cerritos at No. 13 Fullerton) at No. 4 San Diego City
No. 12 Los Angeles City at No. 5 Mount San Jacinto

Postscript: If you compare the previous post's rankings with this post's brackets, you'll notice some teams have been shifted around to avoid conference matches. No. 3 San Diego City and No. 4 San Bernardino Valley have been switched for each other, as have No. 11 LA City and No. 12 Miramar and No. 18 West LA and No. 19 LA Trade Tech.

Here's the early projection of the Southern California regional men's basketball playoffs, as projected by Ventura College assistant coach Jon Wyers in the late hours on Saturday night:

No. 1 Citrus
No. 2 Saddleback
No. 3 San Diego City
No. 4 San Bernardino Valley
No. 5 Mount San Jacinto
No. 6 Chaffey
No. 7 Bakersfield
No. 8 Antelope Valley
No. 9 Cuesta
No. 10 Ventura
No. 11 Los Angeles City
No. 12 Miramar
No. 13 Fullerton
No. 14 Riverside
No. 15 Los Angeles Valley
No. 16 Victor Valley
No. 17 Moorpark
No. 18 Los Angeles Trade Tech
No. 19 West Los Angeles
No. 20 Cerritos

This is coach Wyers' ranking from 1 to 20, remember that there is a certain type of subjectivity in the men's seeding process that could move things around a little. Also, very teams will have to be shifted to avoid conference matchups (like all the Foothill Conference teams at 4,5,6).

It's a bit of a surprise that Ventura has fallen out of the Top 8, but that's about where I figured the Pirates were (8, 9, 10). Interesting that, in this scenario, the Pirates would face a road to Fresno consisting of the two teams that beat them in the season-opening We Play Hard tournament -- No. 7 Bakersfield and No. 2 Saddleback.

Of course, a regional final at Saddleback would be juicy, considering the Pirates would be visiting old friend Kevin Menner.

It's an even bigger surprise that this scenario sees Moorpark make the field (a Wednesday night first-round trip to Victor Valley). I spoke to Moorpark head coach Remy McCarthy Friday and he assumed the Raiders would have to beat Oxnard Saturday to make the field.

Here's the list of the five seeding criteria for the CCCWBCA.

With the seeding meeting for the Southern California regional playoffs arriving Monday, the next few days will probably be dominated by talk of "criteria."

So click the jump for an overview of the nine seeding criteria for the men's field.

Community College men's basketball

Ventura 68, Hancock 56: Ventura turns turmoil into title by Joe Curley in Ventura

Community College women's basketball

Ventura 113, Hancock 62: Ventura completes perfect regular season by Joe Curley in Ventura

NCAA Division III

Cal Lutheran 61, Pomona-Pitzer 52: Knudsen leads Cal Lutheran men to victory over Pomona-Pitzer by David Lassen in Claremont.

Ventura completed the third perfect regular season in program history with a win over Hancock. Pierce sewed up second place by beating Cuesta. Moorpark clinched a winning record with a win over Oxnard.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 31-0 12-0
L.A. Pierce 23-9 9-3
Santa Barbara 22-12 8-4
Moorpark 15-14 7-5
Oxnard 8-20 3-9
Cuesta 8-22 3-9
Hancock 2-26 0-12

Saturday's results
No. 1 Ventura 113, Hancock 62
Moorpark 61, Oxnard 41
Los Angeles Pierce 105, Cuesta 45

The most competitive WSC North men's basketball race in years ended in a dead heat Saturday night as co-leaders Ventura and Cuesta became co-champions by grinding out wins against seventh-place Hancock and sixth-place Pierce.

Oxnard completed a two-game sweep of Moorpark to finish in a third-place tie with the Raiders. The loss may keep Moorpark out of the playoffs.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 24-8 9-3
Cuesta 24-10 9-3
Moorpark 17-11 7-5
Oxnard 14-15 7-5
Santa Barbara 13-19 5-7
L.A. Pierce 9-18 3-9
Hancock 7-22 2-10

Saturday's results
No. 18 Ventura 68, Hancock 56
No. 20 Cuesta 63, Los Angeles Pierce 52
Oxnard 81, Moorpark 79

Sophomore Tiffany Hurd had 16 points and 12 rebounds in her final game for the Moorpark College women's basketball team Saturday night when the Raiders beat Oxnard, 61-41, to clinch a winning record (15-14).

Molly Carson continued her hot outside shooting with 5 3-pointers.

Click the jump for the full box score for Moorpark.

Ventura College freshman Erika Ward was three rebounds short of a triple-double in tonight's win over Hancock.

The guard from Royal High had 12 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Click the jump for the full box for Ventura.

Cuesta guard Tom Schumacher may have made only 1-of-7 3-pointers tonight with the Cougars' season on the line against Los Angeles Pierce, but the guard from Luxembourg didn't miss a shot inside the arc, going 7 of 7 along the way to a 17-point night in Woodland Hills.

Click the jump for Cuesta's full box from its 63-52 win over Pierce.

Click the jump for the box score from the Ventura College men's basketball team's win over Hancock Saturday night.

The Ventura College men's basketball team needed huge nights by forwards Will Faiivae and Randy Hunter to clinch a share of the WSC North title Saturday night

Faiivae had 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Hunter had 16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.

"It was a guaranteed bucked with Will and Randy inside," said sophomore captain Danny Benson, who had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Women's basketball

WSC North
No. 1 Ventura 113, Hancock 62 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley at VC Athletic Event Center
FINAL -- An incredible seven Pirates scored in double figures. Chanelle Brennan had 23 points, Donielle Griggs had 18 points, Jessi Selleh had 16 points, Kris King had 15 points and Julie Heurung and Erika Ward both had 12 points.
1:14 -- Selleh's 3-pointer pushes VC ahead 59-18.
11:07 -- Amanda Padilla scores on back-to-back possessions to push Ventura ahead 27-8.
12:00 -- Ventura gets a little scare as Michelle Santizo is undercut below the basket and seems to sustain a lower-body injury. She did limp off the court though under her own power.
12:20 -- Hancock responds with a nice 6-0 run.
14:44 -- Ventura scores 18 of the games first 20 points, including seven points from Jessi Sellh.

Moorpark 61, Oxnard 41 FINAL
Los Angeles Pierce 105, Cuesta 45 FINAL

Men's basketball

WSC North
Ventura 68, Hancock 56 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley at VC Athletic Event Center
FINAL -- Hunter and Faiivae had 16 points apiece for Ventura, which also got 13 points from Benson and 11 points from Pinkard. Scott Dixon had a game-high 22 points for Hancock.
0:00 -- Ventura ends the game on a 10-0 run to win a share of its eighth straight WSC North title.
1:53 -- Benson steals a Hancock inbounds and hits two free throws for a 63-56.
2:24 -- Eric Gray's huge 3-pointer pushes Ventura ahead 61-56. Hancock had pulled within 58-56.
4:00 -- Two Benson free throws after his big steal to give Ventura a 58-53 lead.
4:34 -- After Hunter springs the break with a big block, Pinkard follows Benson's transition miss for a four-point VC lead with 4:34.
6:44 -- Hunter makes his fifth and sixth straight free throws to give Ventura a 54-52 lead.
9:00 -- Hunter makes two free throws to regain the lead, 51-50.
9:25 -- Ramirez buries Hancock's fourth straight 3-poitner for a 50-49 Hancock lead.
10:35 -- Dixon buries Hancock's third straight 3-pointer to pull Hancock even, 47-47. It's a 9-0 Bulldogs run.
10:50 -- After Prince Abidoye turns down a breakaway layup and turns the ball over and Hancock punishes the mistake with a 3-pointer by Scott Dixon. Instead of 49-41, it's 47-44.
12:18 -- Hunter's big dunk finishes a 6-0 run for the Righetti High product, but Glenn Potts immediately pulls Hancock within 47-41 with a left wing 3.
14:10 -- Dixon ends Hancock's five-minute scoring drought with a left wing drive. He follows it with a left wing 3-pointer to pull Hancock within 41-38.
15:33 -- Hunter makes two free throws and Pinkard adds another to make it a 15-0 VC run and a 41-33 VC lead.
16:51 -- Faiivae scores from Benson's pass to make it a 12-0 VC run and a 38-33 VC lead.
18:31 -- Benson scores as Ventura regains the lead, 34-33. The VC run is now 8-0.
19:03 -- Hunter scores on the left block and Faiivae get an offensive rebound and scores to start the half.
HALF -- Faiivae, who was scoreless in the loss in Santa Maria last month, has a game-high 12 points. Benson also has six points for Ventura. Scott Dixon leads Hancock with 11 points and Darian Capers has nine points.

0:00 -- After Capers and Jonathan Ramirez score to push the Hancock lead to seven points, Will Faiivae makes a buzzer-beating jumper to pull VC within 33-28 at the half.
1:25 -- Jordan Harris' second nice jumper of the half pulls VC within 29-26.
5:30 -- Dixon's knifing drive pushes Hancock ahead by eight, 25-17.
7:33 -- Randy Hunter makes one of two free throws and Benson
13:55 -- Darian Capers and Scott Dixon splash 3-points to push Hancock ahead, 14-7.
15:40 -- Hancock responds with an 8-0 run.
19:38 -- Will Faiivae scores in transition from Danny Benson's pass to give Ventura an early 2-0 lead.

Oxnard 81, Moorpark 79 FINAL
Updates from cub reporter Jason Townsley:
FINAL -- Oxnard probably eliminates Moorpark from the playoffs with a two-point win at Raider Pavilion.
10:53 -- Moorpark's 6-0 run gives it a 19-16 lead.

Cuesta 63, Los Angeles Pierce 52 FINAL
-- Cuesta hangs on to grab a share of its first WSC North title since 1999.
-- Pierce pulled within 48-44 with seven minutes left, but Cuesta scores the next six points.
-- An 8-2 run by Cuesta gives the Cougars a 48-37 lead with 10 minutes to play.

From today's print editions, here's my preview of the 12th and final round of WSC North basketball.

The Moorpark College men's basketball team can expect a boost in its final game of the regular season. The Raiders will welcome back head coach Remy McCarthy, who expected to miss the rest of the season after spinal surgery Dec. 31, for their home game against Oxnard Saturday.

"If I was going to come back for any game, it would be (tonight) for the sophomore's last home game," said McCarthy Wednesday, when he attended the Ventura at Oxnard game without a neck brace.

Third-place Moorpark (17-10, 7-4) isn't out of the WSC North picture.

The Raiders, looking to improve their postseason credentials with a home win over fourth-place Oxnard (13-15, 6-5), can share the title with a win combined with Ventura and Cuesta losses.

Which isn't completely out of the question, considering the events of Jan. 28, when Hancock defeated Ventura, 64-59, and Cuesta needed a 23-5 second-half spurt to survive Pierce, 54-48.

According to the Daily Breeze, former Louisville quarterback Matt Simms, the son of Phil and the younger brother of Chris, has joined the El Camino College football team.

Both the WSC North's top teams found themselves in the men's basketball state Top 20 this week.

Ventura (23-8) slipped one spot to No. 18 and Cuesta (23-10) returned to the poll at No. 20.

Tied atop the standings at 8-3 with one game to play, the two teams will share the WSC North spoils with wins Saturday night.

Click the jump for the full polls.

As it had the previous 11 weeks, the Ventura College women's basketball team topped the final California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches' Association state poll when it was released Tuesday.

Ventura (30-0) also topped the Southern California poll.

WSC North rival Los Angeles Pierce debuted at No. 25 in the state poll.

Click the jump for the full polls.

In 24 years at Ventura College, Ned Mircetic has been a part of 24 Western State Conference basketball teams, five as men's basketball assistant from 1986 to 1990 and 19 as women's basketball head coach from 1991 to present.

If the Ventura College men's basketball team defeats Hancock Saturday night at the VC Athletic Event Center, Mircetic will have been a part of 25 WSC title-winning teams in 24 years.

Top-ranked Ventura reached the 30-win mark with one game to play in the regular season Wednesday night. Pierce overcame a pesky performance by seventh-place Hancock to maintain its second-place status. Santa Barbara City won a huge game over Moorpark to all but ensure its postseason position. With the loss, the Raiders clinched a respectable fourth-place finish with Saturday's visit by Oxnard upcoming. Ventura looks a cinch to wrap up a perfect regular season against 2-25 Hancock Saturday.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 30-0 11-0
L.A. Pierce 22-9 8-3
Santa Barbara 22-12 8-4
Moorpark 15-13 6-5
Oxnard 8-19 3-8
Cuesta 8-21 3-8
Hancock 2-25 0-11

Wednesday's results
No. 1 Ventura 73, Oxnard 32
Santa Barbara City 82, Moorpark 56
Los Angeles Pierce 99, Hancock 63

Saturday's schedule
Hancock at Ventura, 7 p.m.
Oxnard at Moorpark, 7 p.m.
Cuesta at Los Angeles Pierce, 7 p.m

Just one day remains in the most competitive WSC North race in a decade. As first-place Cuesta rested, Ventura eliminated Oxnard from the race to join the Cougars atop the standings. Moorpark edged Santa Barbara City to stay in the hunt, mathmatically. Pierce edged Hancock in Santa Maria to send the Bulldogs into the cellar.

Three teams still have a mathematical chance at a share of the WSC North title entering Saturday's 12th and final round of play. First-place Ventura and Cuesta need only to defeat seventh-place Hancock and sixth-place Pierce, respectively, to clinch a share of the spoils. Should both trip up, Moorpark can claim a share of the title with a home win over Oxnard.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 23-8 8-3
Cuesta 23-10 8-3
Moorpark 17-10 7-4
Oxnard 13-15 6-5
Santa Barbara 13-19 5-7
L.A. Pierce 9-17 3-8
Hancock 7-21 2-9

Wednesday's results
No. 18 Ventura 76, Oxnard 45
Moorpark 77, Santa Barbara City 75
Los Angeles Pierce 72, Hancock 68

Saturday's schedule
Hancock at Ventura, 5 p.m.
Oxnard at Moorpark, 5 p.m.
Cuesta at Los Angeles Pierce, 5 p.m

Head coach Ned Mircetic on the Ventura College men's basketball team's 76-45 win over Oxnard Wednesday night:

"I thought we started the game as well as we've started any game in league."

(on Prince Abidoye and Jeremiah Slowik's performance off the bench)

"Any time kids come off the bench and make you better, it creates games like this. Wins like this.
"That's two games in a row that Jeremiah has come off the bench and been spectacular."

(on freshman Randy Hunter's 19-point, 11-rebound, 3-steal, 2-block performance)

"Right now, we've got three guys who are still improving significantly and Randy is one of them."

Oxnard College men's basketball head coach Jason Cunningham, on the Condors' virtual season-ending 76-45 loss to rival Ventura Wednesday night at Condor Center:

"If John (Johnson) isn't playing well, it's almost humanly impossible for us to beat a good team."

Johnson was held to seven points by Ventura's Eric Gray and Prince Abidoye.

Freshman Randy Hunter on the Ventura College men's basketball team's 76-45 win over Oxnard Wednesday night:

"We needed to come out and crush them in the first half."

"They put up a good fight."

"I'm just starting to come around. I'm picking my spots and taking what comes to me."

Assistant coach Jon Wyers on the Ventura College men's basketball team's 76-45 win over Oxnard Wednesday night, which moved the Pirates within one game of the WSC North title:

"The guys were playing hard and having fun.That's when we're at our best.

"We've really broken out in our last two games."

Ventura College women's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on tying Caren Franci as California Community College women's basketball's third all-time winningest coach:

"All I'm going to do is think about Allan Hancock (who the Pirates play Saturday). We'll worry about that in the offseason."

The 73-32 win over Oxnard Wednesday night was win No. 560 for head coach Ned Mircetic in 19 seasons at the helm of the Ventura College women's basketball team.

That moves Mircetic past Colleen Riley, who won 559 games in 25 years at Fullerton, and into a third-place tie with Caren Franci, who was 560-316 in 33 years at Santa Rosa JC.

If the Pirates win three more games and reach the Great Eight, Mircetic will draw even with Tom Martinez, who was 563-103 in 21 years at College of San Mateo.

Martinez entered the season as California Community College women's basketball's all-time winningest coach. He was passed last month by Karen Welliver, who is 571-286 in 27 years at Cerritos.

The Ventura College women's basketball clinched its ninth 30-win season Wednesday night at Oxnard, when the No. 1 Pirates improved to 30-0.

The program broke the 30-win barrier for eight straight years from 1995-95 to 2002-03. Five of those seasons included 30 wins in the regular season.

Ventura was 29-6 last season.

Highlights from the Ventura College at Oxnard College women's basketball box score from Wednesday night:

Ventura's Erika Ward had 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Donielle Griggs had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Kris King had 10 points, including 6-of-6 shooting from the line, and six rebounds. Julie Heurung had seven points and eight rebounds. Michelle Santizo had nine points and four assists.

Oxnard's Sharnisha Bradley had nine points and four rebounds. Oxnard shot 12-of-40 from the field.

Click the jump for the full box. Good work by both coaching staffs to get both sides of the box up in the same night.

Highlights of the box score from the Moorpark College men's basketball team's 77-75 win at Santa Barbara City Wednesday night include 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from Justin Taylor, 16 points and five rebounds from B.J. Wortham, eight points and six rebounds from Michael Rodgers, 11 points from Silvio Arie-Lisboa and seven points and 10 assists from Dwight Jones.

Click the jump for the full box.

Interesting box score for the Ventura College men's basketball tonight.

Randy Hunter had a game-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, plus 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks -- leading Ventura in most statistical categories.

Will Faiivae had 10 points and nine rebounds. Dee Pinkard and Danny Benson had 11 points apiece and combined for eight assists.

Ventura shot nearly 50 percent, 30-of-62 shooting.

Click the jump for the full box.

Women's basketball

WSC North
Ventura 73, Oxnard 32 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley at Condor Center:
13:00 -- And Selleh and Ward do it again to make it 52-21.
13:45 -- Jessi Selleh and Erika Ward make back-to-back 3-pointers to push Ventura ahead 46-19.
HALF -- Ventura is shooting 9 of 28 (31 percent) from the field and 9 of 12 (75 percent) from the line. Oxnard, which missed its first eight shots, has made just 4 of 24 from the field. Ward has a game-high seven points. Santizo has four points. Izaguirre and Bradley lead Oxnard with three apiece.
3:40 -- Amanda Izaguirre's drive ends Oxnard's nine-minute stretch without a field goal.
16:31 -- Erika Ward's right-hand floater is the first field goal of the game, for a 4-1 VC lead.

Santa Barbara City 82, Moorpark 56 FINAL
Los Angeles Pierce 99, Hancock 63 FINAL

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 76, Oxnard 45 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley at Condor Center:
FINAL -- Leading 41-34 with 15:11 to play, Ventura ended the game on a 35-11 run to pull within a win of the WSC North title.
3:55 -- And then the highlight of the night. Randy Hunter's transition ally-oop dunk from Jordan Harris pushes the Ventura lead to 28 points, 70-42.
7:22 -- Two Pinkard free throws make a 20-point Ventura lead, 60-40.
7:41 -- Two Faiivae free throws allow the Pirates to regain their largest lead at 18, 58-40.
9:22 -- Jordan Harris' steal and breakaway layup makes it a 16-point game, 54-38.
11:40 -- Jeremiah Slowik scores inside and Jordan Harris makes two free throws to push the Ventura lead to 14 points, 50-34.
12:15 -- Oxnard center Matt Dewaal picks up his fourth foul.
15:11 -- Oxnard pulls within 41-34 on Jonathan Johnson's drive.
17:50 -- Benson's jumper and Hunter's steal and dunk pushes it to 39-30, VC.
19:12 -- Dewaal's hook shot to start the half makes it a five-point game, 35-30.
HALF -- Randy Hunter has a game-high 12 points at the half. Dee Pinkard added seven points. Craig Lee leads Oxnard with nine points.
1:10 -- Marc Pajund scores cutting to the basket and Craig Lee adds a free throw for a 17-6 Oxnard run, pulling the score within 35-28.
2:45 -- Bernard Burrell's jumper and Boris Boundija's transition bucked pull Oxnard within 35-25 with 2:34 left in the half.
12:20 -- Alex Jamerson's runner and jumper and Mike Diacos' jumper pushes Ventura ahead, 28-11.
13:30 -- Prince Abidoye's left wing 3-pointer gives Ventura its biggest lead, 23-10.
14:06 -- Dee Pinkard buries a 3-pointer to silent a 4-0 Condor run and make it 20-8 Ventura.
17:00 -- Randy Hunter scores 10 of the first 15 points of the game as Ventura jumps out to leads of 11-0 and 13-2.

Moorpark 77, Santa Barbara City 75 FINAL
-- Justin Taylor scores 19 points, BJ Wortham scores 16 points and Dwight Jones adds 10 assists for the Raiders.
-- Moorpark wins by two points to stay in the WSC North race, a win Saturday over Oxnard combined with losses by Cuesta and Ventura would mean a three-way title split.
-- Moorpark lead 61-52 with 10 minutes to play.

Los Angeles Pierce 72, Hancock 68 FINAL
-- Pierce wins to push Hancock into last place entering it season-ending trip to Ventura Saturday.
-- PIerce ends the first half on a 12-1 run to take a 33-27 halftime lead.

The expected has been confirmed.

Cal Lutheran junior center Andy Meier has a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

Meier injured his knee on Feb. 7 in a victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He was the team's leading scorer (16.3) and second-leading rebounder (8.0).

Meier, a Parker, Colo. native, will not require surgery, but will perform extensive rehabilitation for the next six to eight weeks.

In Meier's absence, CLU (16-6, 8-3) has gone 2-0 and clinched a berth into the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Fellow junior Kyle Knudsen has increased his offensive production with scoring games of 27 and 23 in two of CLU's last three victories.

Former UC Irvine and Chivas USA forward Anthony Hamilton on his rebound goal Monday night that beat GAIS of Gothenburg, 1-0, in a stadium at Buena High:

"It was a good shot by Andrew (Villalobos). The keeper couldn't hold it and I was able to get to it.

Hamilton said that he expects to sign with Cleveland or Portland of USL Soccer soon.

GAIS manager Alex Axen on his team's 1-0 loss to the Ventura County Fusion Monday night at Buena High:

"We started well. But when Ventura scored, we panicked and played a lot of long balls."

"It was a good game. (Ventura) was a good side. In the second half, they threatened more with their counterattacking play."

Head coach Graham Smith on the Ventura County Fusion's 1-0 win over GAIS of Gothenburg Monday night at Buena High:

"What this has shown is that, when you're looking around for players, there are players there to come to the plate. We had a mixed bag out there."

"After 20 minutes, I thought we were in trouble. They were very good going forward. But really, it all went well and it was a decent crowd considering the weather."

22nd -- Fusion take a 1-0 lead on Anthony Hamilton's rebound goal from Andrew Villalobos' shot.

GAIS Gothenburg
GK 30 Emir Jazvin
16 Mikael Dahlgren
3 Andreas Tobiasson
15 Fredrik Lundgren (Capt.)
5 Gudinnudur Gunnarsson
6 Reuben Ayarna
23 Eygoldar Hedrusson
14 Daniel Nicklasson
21 Johan Pettersson
10 Daniel Morais
9 Gudjon Baldvinsson
BENCH: 12 Magnus Jonasson (GK), 2 Rickard Ekunde, 7 Jonas Lunden, 8 Rickard Spong, 11 Tommy Lycen, 13 Ebo Camara, 17 Johan Martensson, 18 Par Ericsson, 20 Kenneth Gustafsson, 25 Wanderson do Carmo

Ventura County Fusion
GK 1 Jordan King (Styles 18th)
19 Nikola Andelic
26 Dillon Barna
28 Armando Guerrero Y38th
20 Brian Byrne
6 Andrew Villalobos
18 Kyle Schmid Y74th
3 Peter Savadis
4 Anton Peterlin
22 Arturo Aghasyan
21 Anthony Hamilton G22nd
BENCH: 7 Gurgen Adzemian, 21 Johnny Alcaraz, 10 Hagop Chirishian, 9 Manny Guzman, 15 Guiherme Mitrovitch, 27 Fabrian Sandoval, 13 Trevor Styles, 18 Adam Smart

The race is over as Ventura clinched its 19th straight WSC North title. The race is now for the postseason as Santa Barbara and Moorpark prepare for a huge game Wednesday. Also, Cuesta needed overtime to move to a half game of Oxnard in the race for fifth.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 29-0 10-0
L.A. Pierce 21-9 7-3
Santa Barbara 21-12 7-4
Moorpark 15-12 6-4
Oxnard 8-18 3-7
Cuesta 8-21 3-8
Hancock 2-24 0-10

Saturday's results
No. 1 Ventura 99, Santa Barbara City 61
Cuesta 77, Hancock 72 (OT)
Los Angeles Pierce 70, Oxnard 58

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

Entering the first week, Cuesta is one win away from a share of the title and Ventura is two wins away from a share of the title. Moorpark and Oxnard remain in the hunt, hoping Pierce can upset Cuesta next week.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 23-10 8-3
Ventura 22-8 7-3
Moorpark 16-10 6-4
Oxnard 13-14 6-4
Santa Barbara 13-18 5-6
L.A. Pierce 8-17 2-8
Hancock 7-19 2-9

Saturday's results
No. 17 Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 64
Cuesta 64, Hancock 39
Oxnard 63, Los Angeles Pierce 58

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

Women's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 99, Santa Barbara City 61 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley in Ventura:
8:12 -- Brennan scores from Heurung's pass to push the VC lead to 80-41.
11:11 -- A Selleh 3-point play and two Griggs free throws pushes Ventura ahead 72-39.
16:07 -- Heurung's 3-point play gives Ventura its largest lead, 58-35.
HALF
0:40 -- Selleh misses a free throw for a 4-point play, then scores a putback the next time down the floor for a 47-27 Ventura lead.
2:35 -- Selleh scores twice in transition for a 40-23 Ventura lead.
6:55 -- Ward's 3-pointer gives Ventura a 31-15 lead, but Katie Randall and Nikki Graham respond with 3-pointers for the Vaqueros.
11:25 -- Ward finishes with one hand in transition from Amanda Padilla's no-look pass and buries a 3-pointer in transition to give Ventura a 20-11 lead.
14:38 -- Josie Piercey's steal and layup get the Vaqueros on the board, 8-2.
17:27 -- Santizo makes two 3-points in the first two and a half minutes to give Ventura an early 8-0 lead.

Cuesta 77, Hancock 72 (OT) FINAL
Los Angeles Pierce at Oxnard, 7 p.m

Men's basketball

WSC North

Ventura 84, Santa Barbara City 64 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley in Ventura:
4:58 -- Another Faiivae alley-oop dunk from Pinkard and a Gray 3-pointer push the VC lead to 19 points, 75-56.
7:05 -- Pinkard finishes in transition after two nice Benson finishes for a quick 7-0 run and a 68-53 lead.
16:44 -- Eric Gray finds Faiivae for an alley oop in transition and then Pinkard finishes a break in which all five Pirates touch the ball for a 49-41.
17:50 -- Four different Pirates score to open the half as Ventura opens up a 45-38 lead.
HALF -- Danny Benson has 12 points, including 4-of-4 shooting from the line, for Ventura. Will Faiivae adds eight points. Santa Barbara has been led by 10 points Lucky Teegarden. SBCC has made 11 of 13 free throws.
0:20 -- Lucky Teegarten's 3-pointer pulls the Vaqueros within 37-35.
2:08 -- Nate Graham's pull up caps a 7-0 SBCC to pull the Vaqueros within 33-29.
6:22 -- Faiivae scores inside to push the Ventura lead to 11 points, 31-20.
7:25 -- Dee Pinkard's 3-point gives the Pirates a 29-18 lead.
12:21 -- After the Vaqueros close to within two points, Jeremiah Slowik's jumper and Eric Gray's steal and layup cap a 7-0 run and give Ventura its biggest lead, 17-8.
16:18 -- Benson and Faiivae score twice early to give Ventura an early 8-0 lead.
20:00 -- Both teams are warming up, 15 minutes until tipoff.

Cuesta 64, Hancock 39 FINAL
Updates from Pete Schuler in San Luis Obispo:

Oxnard 63, Los Angeles Pierce 58 FINAL
Updates from cub reporter Jason Townsley in Oxnard:
10:00 -- Matt Dewaal's left hook pulls the Condors within 47-43.
12:00 -- Pierce puts together a run to take a 45-39 lead.
HALF
1:30 -- Tristen They's putback gives Oxnard a 27-24 lead late in the half.
15:20 -- Jonathan Johnson finds Criag Lee for an alley-oop and then scores himself for an early 8-5 OC lead.

Hicks broke Pam Parizo's Ventura College javelin record of 138 feet, 7 inches set in 1978 with a toss of 142-8 in the WSC minimeet at Moorpark College.

This mark makes her an automatic qualifier for the SoCal Prelims and currently leads the state in that event.

Easter Faafiti had 25 points and 11 rebounds Friday night as the No. 8 Pasadena City women's basketball team handed No. 2 Mount San Antonio its first loss of the season not at the hands of No. 1 Ventura, 70-64, Friday night in Walnut.

The Mounties (27-3) are still in good position in the South Coast Conference, which includes No. 4 Los Angeles City and the No. 8 Lancers.

Here's the Pasadena Star News story.

Ventura College sophomore Randi Hicks set the 30-year-old school javelin record when she threw 142 feet, 8 inches Thursday at a Western State Conference mini-meet at Moorpark College.

"I know its only the first or second week of the season, but that would have won the state championship last year," said coach Tom Lawrence.

Ventura's win over Moorpark and Pierce's win over Santa Barbara City combined to clinch a share of a 19th straight WSC North title for the Pirates.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 28-0 9-0
Santa Barbara 21-11 7-3
L.A. Pierce 20-9 6-3
Moorpark 15-12 6-4
Oxnard 8-17 3-6
Cuesta 7-21 2-8
Hancock 2-23 0-9

Wednesday's results
No. 1 Ventura 77, Moorpark 52
Cuesta 50, Oxnard 48
Los Angeles Pierce 79, Santa Barbara City 60

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

Cuesta and Ventura are back even in the loss column and Moorpark and Oxnard are within one loss after the stunning events of Wednesday night.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Cuesta 22-10 7-3
Ventura 21-8 6-3
Moorpark 16-10 6-4
Oxnard 12-14 5-4
Santa Barbara 13-17 5-5
Hancock 7-18 2-7
L.A. Pierce 8-16 2-7

Wednesday's results
Moorpark 78, No. 17 Ventura 76
Cuesta 77, Oxnard 74
Los Angeles Pierce 84, Santa Barbara City 78

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

The Ventura College women's basketball team's 77-52 win over Moorpark, combined with second-place Santa Barbara City falling at Los Angeles Pierce, means the Pirates have clinched a share of their 19th straight WSC North title.

Women's basketball

WSC North

No. 1 Ventura 77, Moorpark 52 FINAL
-- Updates from Joe Curley at Raider Pavilion:
FINAL: Erika Ward scored 16 points, Julie Heurung and Donielle Griggs added 13 points apiece and Michelle Santizo added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Ventura (28-0, 9-0), which can clinch a share of its 19th straight WSC North title Saturday against visiting Santa Barbara City.
Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd had a game-high 24 points
1:05 -- Ward's drive gives Moorpark a 40-18 lead.
8:50 -- Moorpark's Tiffany Hurd makes back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Raiders within 24-16.
10:00 -- Ventura finishes an 8-0 run to take a 20-10 lead.
17:16 -- Jessi Selleh and Donielle Griggs splash 3-pointers in a 10-0 Ventura run.
19:30 -- Molly Carson continues her hot shooting, opening the game with another 3-pointer.

Cuesta 50, Oxnard 48 FINAL
HALF -- Cuesta led for most of the first half. Tonee Martin and Amanda Izaguirre have eight points each for Oxnard.

Los Angeles Pierce 79, Santa Barbara City 60

Men's basketball

WSC North

Moorpark 78, No. 17 Ventura 76 FINAL
-- Updates from Joe Curley at Raider Pavilion:
FINAL -- Dwight Jones has 17 points, including 7-of-7 shooting from the foul line, and Justin Taylor and Braylin Bowman added 14 points apiece. Danny Benson had a team-high 15 points for Ventura.
0:02 -- Jones makes both free throws to ice the game with seven seconds left, before Pinkard drains a 3-pointer with 2.3 left on the clock.
0:09 -- Hunter makes one of two free throws.
0:29 -- Two Faiivae free throws make it 74-72.
1:34 -- Down 73-67 with 1:34 left, Abidoye buries a 3-pointer.
3:23 -- Benson follows his 3-point play with a inbounds steal and layup to cut the seven-point deficit to two points, 67-65.
4:26 -- Jones's 3-point play gives Moorpark a 67-60 lead. It's an 11-5 Moorpark run.
8:31 -- Mike Rodgers 3-point play restores the Raiders lead, 55-54.
9:50 -- Prince Abidoye makes a 3-pointer to give the lead back to Ventura and Moorpark's Chris Booker has a 3-point play wiped away for an offensive foul.
10:50 -- Taylor's drive gets the lead right back for Moorpark.
11:23 -- Jeremiah Slowik scores inside and is fouled, Ventura rebounds the missed free throw and Mike Diacos makes one of two free throws to give Ventura it's first lead since 2-0.
13:20 -- Jones and Pinkard exchange drives.
15:10 -- Moorpark respond with a Taylor drive and a Jones 3-pointer for a 48-42 lead.
16:00 -- Harris' hook in the lane and high-arcing shot in the lane pulls VC within 41-40. In between, Benson and Bowman have to be separated by the referees.
19:01 -- A jumper by Jordan Harris and a 3-pointer by Dee Pinkard immediately pulls VC within 39-37.
HALFTIME -- Moorpark's Braylin Bowman and Justin Taylor have a game-high 10 points. Ventura's Danny Benson and Randy Hunter have nine and eight points, respectively.
0:00 -- Former Westlake High point guard Matt Mazarei splashes a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to give Moorpark a seven-point halftime lead.
0:30 -- Two pairs of free throws by Jeremiah Slowik in the final minute pulls VC within 36-32.
1:30 -- Benson's fourth transition bucket is a 3-point play to pull VC wtihin 34-28.
3:20 -- Shane Foster's 3-pointer makes it 34-23 Moorpark and Faiivae follows with his third foul.
5:20 -- Taylor's 3-pointer make its 31-21.
5:36 -- Will Faiivae returns for Ventura after again suffering two quick fouls.
6:00 -- Sean Bryan's left corner 3-pointer makes it a 8-0 Raider run as the lead peaks at 28-19.
6:40 -- But Bowman splashes a 3-pointer and Taylor scores in transition to push it back out to 25-19.
7:40 -- A pair of Randy Hunter buckets pull VC within 20-19.
8:30 -- Prince Abidoye and Justin Taylor exchange 3-pointers.
9:25 -- Braylin Bowman's jumper pushes Moorpark ahead, 17-12.
13:17 -- Silvio Arie-Lisboa ally-oop dunk from Dwight Jones pushed Moorpark head, 13-9.
14:12 -- Danny Benson's third bucket in transition evens the game, 9-9.
16:47 -- Eric Gray responds for VC with a right wing 3-pointer.
17:40 -- B.J. Wortham's 3-pointer and Justin Taylor's drive gives Moorpark an early 5-2 lead.

Cuesta 77, Oxnard 74 FINAL
-- Updates from budding journalist Jason Townsley in San Luis Obispo:
4:09 -- After Cuesta took a 60-59 lead, Dewaal gets back-to-back layups to restore the Oxnard lead to 63-60.
7:00 -- Two Matt Dewaal free throws push the Condors ahead, 57-53.
7:44 -- Cuesta rips off a 10-2 run to shave the lead to one point, 53-52.
11:00 -- Molina's 3-pointer pushes Oxnard ahead 51-42.
12:00 -- Bernard Burrell makes a hook shot to give Oxnard a 48-40 lead.
13:00 -- Cuesta's Tom Schumacher makes a pair of deep 3-pointers to pull Cuesta within 44-40.
15:00 -- Johnson's floater makes it 41-34, Condors.
17:00 -- Johnson's 3-point play gives Oxnard a 38-30 lead.
HALFTIME
1:01 -- Jonathan Johnson's floater gives Oxnard a six-point lead late in the first half.
1:36 -- Nick Molina's 3-point beats the shot clock and gives Oxnard a 29-25 lead.

Santa Barbara City at Los Angeles Pierce, 5 p.m

"Los Medanos College is investigating a football-recruiting scam in which players from Florida are accused of pretending to be California residents to pay lower fees."

Contra Costa Times story

The 27-0 Ventura College women's basketball team made it 11 straight weeks atop the state coaches' poll this week.

The Pirates were again the unanimous choice, earning all 16 first-place votes, with five games to play in the regular season.

Click the jump for the full polls.

The Ventura College men's basketball team is up three spots to No. 17 in this week's state coaches' poll.

The Pirates are also No. 9 in SoCal.

Click the jump for the full polls.

Hancock coach Ralph Gorton believes Dwight Jones, Moorpark College's sophomore point guard, is the WSC North's lone Division I-caliber player.

Here's a fine piece on the Santa Barbara City men's basketball team's dramatic 80-78 win over Cuesta by SBCC Sports Information Director Dave Loveton, as posted on PresidioSports.com:

"David Lane poured in 25 points, dished out eight assists and took over the game in the final 3:16 Saturday night, leading SBCC to a thrilling 80-78 men's basketball victory over first-place Cuesta at the Sports Pavilion.

Tom Schumacher, who led Cuesta with 23 points, hit a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to two. After Brandon Greene missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for the Vaqueros, Schumacher tossed up a running 3-pointer that rolled around the rim, off the backboard and out.

"I know Cuesta's a great team and they finish well," said Lane, a 6-1 freshman from Akron, Ohio. "I knew I had to speed up the tempo a little, get some other people involved and also get some shots myself."

Richard Somdah added 15 points while Daniel Koches contributed 12 on 4-of-5 shooting from long distance for the Vaqueros (13-16, 5-4 WSC North), who beat the Cougars for the second time in three meetings this season...

"The important thing is we found a way to win," said Vaquero coach Morris Hodges. "Daniel Koches was big for us. In the first half, we fouled too much (making only 1-of-6 while Cuesta to hit 16-21). We overcame a lot of things, including foul trouble."

Here's the full story:

Here's the roundup item from Sunday's San Luis Obispo Tribune on Cuesta's 80-78 loss to Santa Barbara City Saturday night:

"The Vaqueros shot 34 of 65 from the field to prevail at home, where they were outrebounded 37-22, outscored in the second half and attempted 23 fewer free throws than the Cougars.

Cuesta was without Southern Mississippi signee Joe Ayarza, who was kept out by the Cougars coaching staff because of an ankle injury that had been nagging him for more than a week.

"We hope he's cleared for the stretch run," Cuesta head coach Rusty Blair said.

Four others sat out with injuries for Cuesta, which dressed only 10 players.

David Lane led Santa Barbara with game highs of 25 points and seven assists.

Tom Schumacher led Cuesta (21-10, 6-3 Western State Conference) with 23 points. He missed a potentially game-winning 3-pointer in the waning seconds.

Frank Muller added 15 for the Cougars, and Robbie McDaniel and Roger Guardia chipped in 13 apiece."

Despite seven 3-pointers from Molly Carson, Pierce resisted Moorpark in perhaps the Game of the Year in the WSC North. Oxnard's win at Hancock all but wrapped up fifth place for the Condors. Santa Barbara City stayed two games back of No. 1 Ventura in the loss column with a win against Cuesta.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 27-0 8-0
Santa Barbara 21-10 7-2
Moorpark 14-12 6-3
L.A. Pierce 19-9 5-3
Oxnard 8-16 3-5
Cuesta 6-21 1-8
Hancock 2-23 0-9

Saturday's results
Los Angeles Pierce 97, Moorpark 92
Santa Barbara City 70, Cuesta 49
Oxnard 51, Hancock 47

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

Ventura picked up sole possession of first place Saturday without playing a game. Cuesta's dramatic loss at Santa Barbara dropped the Cougars a half game out of first place. Oxnard also picked up a key win at Hancock, where both leaders lost. Moorpark edged Pierce to stay in the race, with a must-win game approaching Wednesday at home to Ventura.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 21-7 6-2
Cuesta 21-10 6-3
Oxnard 12-13 5-3
Moorpark 15-10 5-4
Santa Barbara 13-16 5-4
Hancock 7-18 2-7
L.A. Pierce 7-16 1-7

Saturday's results
Oxnard 57, Hancock 48
Moorpark 74, Los Angeles Pierce 71
Santa Barbara City 80, Cuesta 78

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

Here's the box score from the Oxnard College men's basketball team's win at Hancock Saturday night.

Good work, coach Perrault, getting the information up so fast.

NOTE:I'll be on vacation this weekend shockingly without my laptop, but I will be posting scores as soon as possible tonight.

Men's basketball

WSC North
Oxnard 57, Hancock 48 FINAL
-- Bernard Burrell had 24 points and 13 rebounds to pace the Condors. Marc Pajund and Jon Johnson added 15 points and 11 points, respectively.
-- OC leads 26-20 at the half.
Moorpark 74, Los Angeles Pierce 71 FINAL
-- Shane Foster makes two late free throws and Pierce misses a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
-- Moorpark leads 72-68 in the final minute when a Pierce player is fouled attempting a 3-pointer and makes all three free throws to make it a one-point game with 18.9 seconds left.
-- Pierce's 5-0 run closes the Moorpark lead to 70-65 with 2:41 to play.
-- The game is tied, 29-29, at the half.
Santa Barbara City 80, Cuesta 78 FINAL
-- Lane had a game-high 25 points and Somdah added 15 points. Schumacher had 23 points and Roger Guardia and Robbie McDaniel added 13 points apiece.
-- Schumacher watches a potential buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-point go in and out as Cuesta falls a half game behind Ventura in the WSC North standings with the loss. A wild finish to a superb back-and-forth game.
-- Santa Barbara forward Richard Somdah fouled out with SBCC leading 70-69 with 3:01 left. The Vaqueros then score five straight points, three on David Lane's 3-point play on a second effort, to push the lead to 75-69 with 1:52 to play.
-- SBCC leads 53-49 with 15:21 to play, 61-55 with 10:14 to play and 66-65 with 5:01 to play.
-- SBCC leads 39-36 at the half.
-- Cuesta star Tom Schumacher has just one point after 12 minutes and the Cougars trail, 24-17.
-- SBCC scores nine of the first 11 points in the first three minutes to force a Cuesta timeout, and the Cougars respond to take a 12-11 lead.
-- Both teams will be without stars as SBCC is missing Mark Keeten (attending a funeral) and Cuesta is missing Joe Ayarza (sprained ankle).

Women's basketball

WSC North

Los Angeles Pierce 97, Moorpark 92 FINAL
-- Despite the loss, an incredible performance by the Raiders.
-- Carson buries her sixth and seventh 3-pointer in 10 attempts to pull the Raiders within 97-92 in the final minute.
-- Pierce rips off a back-breaking 9-2 run as Thomas fouls out in the process.
-- Hurd's right corner 3-pointer gives Moorpark a 84-83 lead .
-- Carson buries another 3-pointer to give Moorpark a 81-80 lead with 4:27 left.
-- Moorpark leads, 76-75, with 6:35 to play. Already the Raiders have four of their seven players in the double figures, Carson (21), Hurd (16), Thomas (13), Mays (13).
-- Mays' 3-point play gives Moorpark a 72-69 lead with eight minutes left.
-- Pierce leads 64-63 with 10 minutes to play. Moorpark ties the game, 69-69, with 8:42 left.
-- Carson hits back-to-back 3-pointers to give Moorpark a 61-59 lead, despite Hurd and Mays on the bench.
-- Molly Carson, who had five 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over Cuesta, is doing it again. Her 4-point play evens the score at 53-53.
-- Pierce leads 43-36 at the half. Kristin Thomas has 11 points for Moorpark.
-- Tiffany Hurd scores 12 points in the first nine minutes. Reyneisha Mays sat most of the first half in foul trouble.
Santa Barbara City 70, Cuesta 49 FINAL
-- Santa Barbara City leads 41-21 at the half.
Oxnard 51, Hancock 47 FINAL

The Ventura College men's basketball team is 21-7. The Ventura College women's basketball team is 27-0.

Combined, that's 48-7, which means the VC coaching staffs can win their 49th and 50th games of the season next Wednesday with a cross-county rivalry sweep at Raider Pavilion.

Top-ranked Ventura put together a strong performance against high-scoring Pierce to improve to 27-0. Second-place Moorpark and Santa Barbara City took advantage to build a game-and-a-half advantage on the Brahmas with five rounds to go. Moorpark and Pierce will play a huge game in Woodland Hills Saturday.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 27-0 8-0
Santa Barbara 20-10 6-2
Moorpark 14-11 6-2
L.A. Pierce 18-9 4-3
Oxnard 7-16 2-5
Cuesta 6-20 1-7
Hancock 2-22 0-8

Wednesday's results
No. 1 Ventura 79, Los Angeles Pierce 69
Moorpark 57, Cuesta 37
Santa Barbara City 89, Hancock 51

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

Co-leaders Cuesta and Ventura quickened the pace with wins over Moorpark and Pierce, respectively. The loss left Moorpark in a fourth-place tie with Santa Barbara, which hammered Hancock at home. With Ventura idle Saturday, Cuesta can take a half-game lead in the standings with a win at tough Santa Barbara City and Oxnard can pick up a key win at Hancock, where both leaders have already lost.

WSC North standings
Team Total WSC
Ventura 21-7 6-2
Cuesta 21-9 6-2
Oxnard 11-13 4-3
Moorpark 14-10 4-4
Santa Barbara 12-16 4-4
Hancock 7-17 2-6
L.A. Pierce 7-15 1-6

Wednesday's results
No. 20 Ventura 69, Los Angeles Pierce 57
Cuesta 71, Moorpark 60
Santa Barbara City 81, Hancock 60

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

Head coach Lindsey Goldblatt after freshman Molly Carson had 18 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Moorpark College women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four games with a 57-37 win over visiting Cuesta Wednesday night at Raider Pavilion:

"Molly stepped up in a big way tonight. She has a lot of potential. She's a very smart player and sometimes she passes up shots we'd be OK with her taking."

Dwight Jones, the point guard on Moorpark College men's basketball team, on the Raiders' 71-60 loss to first-place Cuesta Wednesday night on Raider Pavilion:

"We couldn't execute. We couldn't put the ball in the bucket tonight. Our effort on defense was good, it was just our offense."

Jones mustered six points, all in the second half, after putting up 31 in Saturday's win at Hancock.

With the game hanging in the balance, Moorpark had one field goal in a 11-minute stretch in the second half.

Cuesta College men's basketball coach Rusty Blair using its defense to survive Moorpark, 71-60, Wednesday night at Raider Pavilion to stay tied for first place in WSC North:

"It was a poor basketball game. You should be more upbeat after a win like that, but we're not playing like we did earlier in the season.

"We need to have more fun... Maybe we should go to the beach and have a barbecue rather than practicing."

"There's something to be said about winning ugly. Our defensive power is something that's helped us win games all year."

Head coach Ned Mircetic on the top-ranked Ventura College women's basketball team improving to 27-0 with a 79-69 win over visiting Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday:

"The Pierce women are pretty good. Somebody told me they're the leading scoring team in the state. We held them under their scoring average.

"We could have been smoother and more efficient. We can't allow teams to keep us from executing our offense.

"In the second half, we distributed our offense really well. We played a slightly different set. We went exclusively to it and they never found a solution to it. I'm really happy about that."

Ventura College men's basketball coach Ned Mircetic on the Pirates' 69-57 win over Pierce.

"The game was a little sloppy, except for a three-minute span in the second half when we played really good basketball... We just executed everything and pulled away. We played all right.

"Pinkard did a really nice job executing the offense.

"We just didn't play with energy the whole game. When we did, we looked like a really good basketball team, firing on all cylinders.

"The challenge for us is going to be putting together a whole game where we really get after it."

Click the jump for the official box score from the No. 1-ranked Ventura College women's basketball team's 79-69 win over Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday night.

Highlights include 18 points and five rebounds for Michelle Santizo, 17 points and six rebounds for Jessi Selleh, 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting for Chanelle Brennan, 12 points and four steals for Erika Ward and 10 points and nine rebounds for Julie Heurung.

As of 12:12 a.m., it's the only official statistics posted by any of the six WSC North women's teams tonight who played. Good work coach Hester.

Click the jump for the official box score of the Ventura College men's basketball team's 69-57 win over Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday night.

Highlights include a 17-point night for Pierce Abidoye, including 9-of-11 shooting from the foul line, 10 assists for Danny Benson and 11 points and five rebounds for Will Faiivae,

As of 12:09 a.m., it's the only official statistics posted by any of the six WSC North men's teams tonight who played. Good work coach Wyers.

Women's basketball

WSC North

No. 1 Ventura 79, Los Angeles Pierce 69 FINAL
Updates by cub reporter Jordan Clegg:
-- Santizo had a team-high 18 points, with Selleh and Brennan adding 17 and 15, respectively.
-- Ward drives right to push Ventura ahead, 74-63, with a minute left.
-- Ward buries a floater to keep Ventura ahead, 71-60, with three minutes to play.
-- Santizo finds Brennan up the court for a transition layup and a 64-53 Ventura lead with 6:45 to play. The Pirates' run is now 15-4.
-- Heurung's jumper pushes Ventura ahead, 60-53, with eight left.
-- King finishes inside sweetly to push the Pirates ahead 54-49 with 10:30 to play.
-- Chanelle Brennan's steal and layup ties the game, 44-44, with 13:50 to play.
-- Pierce rips off a 12-4 run to take a 41-38 lead with 16:02 to go.
-- Heurung scores inside to open the second half and give Ventura a 5-point lead.
-- Selleh has 13 points and Santizo has 11 points to lead Ventura at the half.
-- Julie Heurung, Padilla and Selleh share the ball for a fast break to give Ventura a 32-29 halftime lead.
-- A flurry of Pierce 3-pointers pull the Brahmas within 26-25 with 2:25 left in the half.
-- Selleh's put back gives Ventura a 24-17 lead with 5:45 left first half.
-- A steal and breakaway layup by Ward pushes Ventura ahead 18-11 at the seven-minute mark.
-- Amanda Padilla drives and dishes for a Santizo layup and a 16-9 lead midway through the first half.
-- Jessi Selleh got her own rebound and made a right corner 3-pointer to give Ventura a 9-8 lead at 13:21.
-- Down 6-2, Erika Ward and Michelle Santizo both made a pair of free throws to pull Ventura even, 6-6, at 14:51.
-- Pierce opened up on top, 6-3.

Moorpark 57, Cuesta 37 FINAL
-- Carson's fifth 3-pointer pushes Moorpark ahead 51-31 with seven minutes to play.
-- Carson's fourth 3-pointer of the first half gave Moorpark a 25-17 lead in the final minute of the first half. The Moorpark High product is 4 of 5 from 3-point land this half.
-- Back-to-back 3-pointers by Molly Carson gives Moorpark a 15-8 lead with eight minutes left in the half. She added another to halt a Cuesta run.

Santa Barbara City 89, Hancock 51 FINAL

Men's basketball

WSC North

Cuesta 71, Moorpark 60 FINAL
Updates from Joe Curley in Moorpark:
-- Schumacher makes a pair of free throws with 1:17 to go to give Cuesta a 12-point lead.
-- Here goes the sickness at the free throw line for the Cougars. Christian Kouttras and Petter Wenehult miss pairs of free throws to leave the door open.
-- Down 63-51 with 4:26 to play, Moorpark has gone the last seven minutes with only one field goal.
-- Cuesta has extended the run to 14-3 to take a 63-50 lead with five minutes left.
-- Schumacher reenters the game after sitting for 11 minutes. Cuesta leads 50-57 with 6:06 left.
-- Moorpark was within 49-47 with 11:20 to play, but Cuesta scored eight of the next 10 points for a 57-49 lead with seven minutes to go.
-- The two teams have combined for 45 turnovers through 30 minutes, 24 for Cuesta and 23 for Moorpark.
-- Cuesta coach Rusty Blair is livid, informing the referees, "We're playing for a league championship."
-- Schumacher picks up his third charge in the first four minutes in the second half to give the WSC's leading scorer four fouls with 16 minutes to play.
-- Jones' 3-pointer pulls Moorpark within 38-37 with 17 minutes to go.
-- Moorpark opens the second half by taking two charges. Jones breaks the ice for his first bucket to pull Moopark within 36-34.
-- A couple days after scoring 31 points in a win at Hancock, Dwight Jones is scoreless at the half.
-- Cuesta has 18 turnovers at the half.
-- Guardia has a game-high 13 points and Ayarza has six points. Booker leads Moorpark with eight points.
-- The question is posed if Mazarei deserved five free throws rather than two since he was attempting a midcourt 3-pointer at the buzzer.
-- But Moorpark ends the half on a 6-0 run, as Chris Booker puts back Mike Rodger's 3-point play attempt and Mazarei is hits two free throws after being fouled at the buzzer.
-- Two Schumacher free throws and a Guardia transition layup make it a 10-0 Cuesta run and a 36-26 lead with 42 seconds left in the first half.
-- Cuesta star Tom Schumacher's first shot attempt is a right wing 3-pointer that pushes the Cuesta lead to 32-26 with 1:30 left in the half.
-- Shane Foster's spinning drive for Moorpark ties the game, 26-26, but Guardia immediately answers with a left wing 3-pointer.
-- That end runs when Zohar Meiden's 3-point gives Cuesta a 26-21 lead, but Moorpark's Braylin Bowman responds his with own right wing 3-point with 3:30 left first half.
-- Ayarza makes it eight straight lead changes and a 22-21 Cuesta lead.
-- After seven straight lead changes, Moorpark holds a 21-20 lead at the six-minute mark.
-- Cuesta has eight turnovers in the first nine minutes.
-- A Shane Foster bunny, Chris Booker steal and layup and Booker layup off a Matt Mazarei steal pushes the Moorpark run to 11-0 and gives the Raiders their first lead, 15-14, with 11:12 left in the half.
-- A Justin Taylor transition basket and a B.J. Wortham 3-pointer pulls MC within 12-9 and forces a Cuesta 30-second timeout at 12:44.
-- A Joe Ayarza dunk gives Cuesta an eight-point and forces a Moopark timeout with 14:31 left in the half.
-- Two 3-pointers and a steal and breakaway layup by Roger Guardia give Cuesta a 10-4 lead after 3:15.

Ventura 69, Los Angeles Pierce 57 FINAL
Updates from budding journalist Pepe Araujo:
-- A Faiivae fast break dunk punctuates a 6-0 Ventura run to give the Pirates a 64-55 lead with two minutes to play.
-- Pierce ties the game 41-41 with 15 minutes to play.
-- Danny Benson's 3-point play pushes Ventura's lead to 34-30 early in the second half.
-- Abidoye has a team-high nine points at the half.
-- Ventura took a brief lead, 20-19, before falling behind 23-20.
-- Pierce leads 19-18 with seven minutes left in the first half despite seven points off the bench by Prince Abidoye.
-- Ventura scores six of eight points to even the game, 13-13, at the nine-minute mark.
-- Once again, Ventura center Will Faiivae has two early fouls. But this time, Faiivae stays in the game.
-- Tied 4-4 early, Pierce scores 7 of the next 9 points to take a 11-6 lead.
-- Pierce turns the ball over on its first four possessions.

Santa Barbara City 81, Hancock 60 FINAL