Furious Pirate Comeback Falls Just Short

The reality of March basketball is that just one team wins its final game. Unfortunately for the VC men's basketball team, their season ended Thursday as the No. 8-seeded Pirates' furious second half comeback against No. 9 Citrus fell just short in their 77-74 defeat against the Owls. Adrian McIntyre led four Pirates in double figures with 19 points while Anthony McIntyre had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Anthony Garza contributed 14 points and 11 boards. Shulton Tobin added 17 points for Ventura (25-3).

Adrian Mc. scored VC's first two buckets for an early 4-2 Pirate advantage. Citrus came back with six straight points for an 8-4 lead four minutes in, and the game remained close for the next 10-plus minutes with the Owls holding the edge. Aaron Dawoodjee's three at the 14:50 mark made it 11-8, and Garza and Anthony Mc. scored on back-to-back possessions for an 18-16 count midway through the first half. Adrian Mc. made a pair of lay-ups to hold Ventura close at 27-22 with 6:24 on the clock before Citrus went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to hold a 39-24 lead. VC trailed 43-28 at halftime.

The Owls hit a pair of three's around buckets by Garza and Anthony Mc. to open the second half, posting a 49-32 advantage with 17:29 remaining to play. A pair of dunks by Garza and Kordell Gordon jump-started the Ventura offense, as the Pirates went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes. Anthony Mc. scored a lay-up and a free throw, then scored on another drive and Gordon converted an offensive rebound as VC closed to within 41-43 at the 13:18 mark. The Owls were able to stop the Pirate run, and extend their lead back to 69-55 with 7:36 left, but the Ventura resolve had been established.

Tobin sandwiched a pair shots from range around a field goal by Garza, and suddenly VC was within six, 69-63, with under five minutes remaining. Anthony Mc. hit a triple and Tobin scored a lay-up to pull Ventura within 73-70 with 2:48 on the clock. Garza scored to pull the Pirates within a deuce, 76-74, in the final minute, but Citrus made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 77-74 result.

The Pirates shot 53 percent from the floor, 31-58, but were 7-13 at the foul line and committed an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers. 

The loss brings to a close one of the better VC basketball seasons in the 10-years under head coach Joey Ramirez. the 25 victories marked the highest win total since the 2007-09 season and the Pirates also extended their Western State Conference winning streak to 25 games dating back to 2018, capturing their sixth straight WSC North title. With a strong group of freshmen slated to return for 2022-23, look for Ventura's success on the hardwood to continue into the foreseeable future.