VC Outlasts LA Valley in Overtime

Calvin Young made a 3-pointer from an assist by Eddie Cowan with 18 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime, and the Pirates' men's basketball team outscored host LA Valley n the extra time to claim a 76-74 victory Tuesday night.  Cordel Hankerson led Ventura (6-4) with 18 points and nine rebounds and Isiah Reyes had 14 points off the bench in the victory.

VC raced out to an early 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Hankerson and a Vida Faniel.  That would prove to be the largest Pirate advantage of the night, as LA Valley scored 14 of the next 19 points to take a 14-10 lead with 12:22 remaining in the first half.  

A Thomas Frank triple knotted the score at 16, and Hankerson sank three free throws to put thePirates back ahead in the back-and-forth affair.  Frank had another trey, and Faniel hit another bucket to lift the Pirates to a 24-20 advantage with 8:28 on the clock.  

LAVC went on a 13-2 run at that point to post a 33-26 advantage at the 2:46 mark before Paul Moore converted from behind the arc to stop the run. Reyes made two charity tosses and Young hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the half as VC led 34-33 at intermission.

The second half was close throughout with seven ties, but the Pirates' last lead was at the 18:50 mark when Hankerson made a jumper to put VC ahead 36-35.  The Monarchs never got more than four points ahead of the Pirates, but VC was never able to get back in front.

Trailing by three in the final minute, VC missed a 3-pointer, but Cowan hauled in the offensive rebound and fed Young for a game-tying triple with 18 ticks on the clock.  LA Valley got off a last-second shot, but misfired and the game went into overtime with the teams tied at 68-68.

In the extra time, VC did not go ahead until the 1:22 mark when Reyes connected with a lay-up to make it 74-72. Hankerson had a key block in the final minute, and sank two free throws with 14 seconds left to seal away the win.  LA Valley scored at the buzzer, but the Pirates came away with the 76-74 win.

Faniel finished with 11 points and seven boards for Ventura and Cowan had five assists. Frank chipped in eight points and Ventura was a solid 14-15 at the free throw line for the game.

After playing 10 games in the first two-plus weeks of the season, the Pirates will take a short break.  They return to the court on Friday Dec. 2 against MiraCosta at the Gregg Anderson Memorial Tournament at Antelope Valley College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm.