Pirates Come Through With Big Win at Optimist Tourney

Behind strong point guard play from Aubri Smith, the Pirates' women's basketball team built a lead and withstood a physical onslaught from a talented El Camino team down the stretch Monday night in the semifinals of the VC-Optimist Club Holiday Tournament.  VC (12-5) prevailed 66-56, handing the Warriors just their third loss on the season.

An early 10-0 Ventura run put the Pirates in control.  Trailing 4-2, Christina Gonzalez hit a long two from the left corner off of an Aubri Smith assist to tie the score.  Makenna Murray turned an offensive rebound into two points, and Aubri Smith assisted a 3-pointer by Carolyn Ruffino.  Two free throws by Ruffino and another charity toss by Murray made it 12-4 with 11:48 remaining in the first half.

El Camino managed to close to within 12-11, but a putback by Sandra Ortiz and an Aubri Smith deuce widened the gap.  A 3-pointer by Murray off of a pass from Madison O'Donnell made it 32-16 in the final minute of the half before the Warriors hit a late bucket to make the halftime score 32-18.

Another Murray field goal and two free throws by Micaela Pericone-Kapp extended the Pirate lead to 36-18 early in the second frame.  But El Camino, being the solid and experienced team they are, came back strong, cutting the deficit to nine, 36-27 with 15:31 on the clock.  An Aubri Smith bucket halted the slide for Ventura, and her made shot at the 12:13 mark made the lead 14 points, 43-29.

El Camino kept up the fight, however, pulling to within four, 48-44 at the 7:51 mark.  A free throw from Aubri Smith and another long corner deuce from Gonzalez, followed by a Murray triple, made the advantage double-digits again.  The Warriors managed to get back to within five points with 2:50 on the clock, but Aubri Smith was too much for them this night, scoring 10 of the Pirates' final 12 points on the evening.  VC won the game by a final of 66-56.

Murray finished with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Ortiz and Brooke Zamora each pulled in six boards.

Ventura advances to the tournament's championship game for the sixth straight season.  They will play on Tuesday Dec. 30 against San Bernardino Valley at 6:00 pm in the Athletic Event Center.  It will be the fifth time in the tournament's six-year history that the Pirates and Wolverines have met in the final, with VC winning in 2009, 2011 and 2012 while SBVC won in 2010.

Other games on Tuesday will include LA Valley against Antelope Valley at 2:00 pm in the colsolation final followed by Mt. San Jacinto and El Camino in the third-place game at 4:00 pm.