Pirates Find Perfect Ending In Regular Season Finale

Kyleesha Green finished with a triple-double with 17 points, 10 assist and 11 boards as the Pirates' women's basketball team found a perfect ending to the regular season with a 90-67 victory in Santa Barbara Saturday night. Rhiana Dougan scored a career-high 29 points on just 15 shots, and Katie Campbell netted 23 for VC (25-5, 10-0) in the big victory.

The win caps a perfect Western State Conference for Ventura at 10-0, two games ahead of second place Moorpark.  It is the 21st perfect conference campaign for the Pirates during their 27-peat hold on the WSC.  It is also Ventura's 54th straight conference victory dating back to 2013, and the team's 18th straight win this season.

VC wasted little time asserting control in the game, after SBCC scored the first.  Dougan scored on a drive followed by a Campbell 3-pointer.  Dougan then hit from range two more times and the Pirates were ahead 11-2 less than two minutes into the game. Green assisted a lay-up from Davina Del Castillo, Campbell nailed another triple, Dougan hit two free throws, and Avery Brunk connected from deep in the left corner as the Pirates led 21-10 with 1:01 remaining in the opening period.  VC led 25-13 at the quarter break.

In the second quarter, Campbell and Dougan got things started with two more treys. Dougan then sandwiched a pair of two-pointers around a Del Castillo back door lay-up as VC led 37-27 with two minutes remaining.  Green took over at that point scoring seven points in the final 1:10 of the period, including an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1.1 seconds remaining.  The Pirates led at the break, 46-33.

VC opened up a 16-point cushion, 59-43, midway through the third quarter on another Green lay-up off a screen by Melissa Ohmie, and an Ohmie 18-footer. The Pirates led at the end of the third, 67-52.

In the final period, the Vaqueros tried to stay in contact with the Pirates. After Ventura managed three field goals in the first five minutes of the quarter, SBCC closed to within 10 points, 73-63 at the 4:58 mark.  Campbell and Dougan answered the call once again, however, splashing threes on consecutive possessions, ending the Santa Barbara threat. VC closed the game on a strong 17-4 run to post the final score of 90-67.

Campbell added six rebounds and three assists to her 22-point effort, and Del Castillo contributed seven points and nine boards. Sienna Brown pulled down 10 rebounds with three blocked shots for the Pirates.

Ventura will receive a first round bye in the SoCal Regional playoffs that begin Wednesday Feb. 22. They will play either Friday or Saturday, Feb. 24 or 25, at home with a 7:00 pm tipoff.  Pairings for the playoffs will be announced Monday Feb. 20.