Lisa Marie Sanchez scored 21 pts, including 13-for-13 from the free throw line, and Cynthia Hernandez scored 20 pts as #1 Ventura took a stranglehold on the WSC-North division race with a 71-60 win over visiting #10 Moorpark Wednesday night.
The game was tied at 50 midway through the second half. But Ventura (20-4, 6-0) pulled away late after Moorpark standout Riley Abraham fouled out with six minutes to go. And Sanchez clinched the win with four free throws in the final minute, part of a rather remarkable shooting performance from the line as Ventura went 28-for-32 for the night.
Ventura threatened to run away with the game early, taking a 20-8 lead midway through the first half. But Moorpark (13-9, 4-2) battled back, cutting the deficit to four points at halftime after Ashley Ontiveros made a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left in the first half to make it 28-24.
Ventura pushed its lead back to double digits when Dre Vega and Hernandez each made a 3-pointer in the first minute of the second half to make it 34-24. But Morpark rallied to the score at 38 when Abraham converted a 3-point play with 15:29 left. Moorpark even took a 44-41 lead after an Ontiveros shot rolled in after nearly coming to rest of the heel of the rim.
Ventura got even moments later on a 3-pointer by Sanchez, and the game remained close over the next several minutes. It was last tied at 50. Hernandez gave Ventura a 56-51 lead with 6:16 left with two free throws; even more importantly that came after Abraham picked up her 4th foul of the game. And just 16 seconds later Abraham fouled out when Sanchez, who had the ball, hesitated in the backcourt after briefly mishandling the ball and Abraham bumped into her for foul #5.
After that, Ventura pulled away for the win. Ventura was already in the double bonus, and Sanchez made both of her free throws to make it 58-51. She pushed the lead to eight points with a 3-pointer that made it 63-55. Moorpark got within six points with under two minutes left, and nearly forced a turnover on a shot clock violation, but Vega's 3-point try hit the rim and Brooke Dixon scored on the putback to make it 65-57.
Jessie Sager, in the game to replace Abraham, missed a shot and Hernandez got the rebound. By now Moorpark and coach Remy McCarthy had little choice but to foul. But that strategy worked in Ventura's favor when Hernandez made both of her free throws to make it 67-57. Ontiveros made one last 3-pointer for Moorpark with 1:09 left, but Sanchez clinched the win with four more free throws in the final minute.
Sanchez finished with a team-high 21 pts and game-highs of 6 asts and 4 steals. Hernandez had 20 pts, including 3 three-pointers, plus 3 rebs and 2 asts. Dixon had 13 pts and 8 rebs. Adrianne Sloboh had 9 pts and a game-high 13 rebs.
For Moorpark, Ontiveros led all scorers with 25 pts, which included 4 three-pointers. Abraham, ranked among the state leaders in both points and rebounds per game, had just 14 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals largely due to the foul trouble. Lindsay Nuener and Sydney Perry each had 6 pts and 5 asts; Perry also had 3 steals.
Moorpark shot 47% from the floor, a very respectable percentage and much higher than Ventura (37.5%). And the turnovers were even 16-16. But the free throw disparity - 5 made free throws for Moorpark compared to 28 for Ventura, was the difference.
box score
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 5 pm
at the VC Athletic Event Center
WSC-North (women)
Moorpark 60:
15-Alison Dobner, SF - 1/1 fg, 1 reb, 4 ast, 4 pf, 3 pts
21-Lindsay Nuener, PG - 3/13 fg, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
22-Ashley Ontiveros, SG - 9/15 fg, 3/5 ft, 4 pf, 25 pts
24-Riley Abraham, C - 6/11 fg, 2/3 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 5 pf, 14 pts
25-Aliyah Hughes, PF - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
14-Sydney Perry, F - 3/7 fg, 3 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 6 pts
44-Jessie Sager, C - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
3-Jackie Valenzuela, G - 1/1 fg, 2 reb, 4 pf, 2 pts
10-Brenna Abraham, G - 2/3 fg, 0/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 4 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 25/53 fg (.472), 5/9 ft (.556), 26 reb, 18 ast, 1 blk, 7 stl, 24 pf, 60 pts
3-pt fg (5): Ontiveros 4, Dobner
Fouled Out: R.Abraham 6:00 left
Turnovers (16): R.Abraham 4, Dobner 3, Nuener 3, Perry 2, Valenzuela 2, Ontiveros, B.Abraham
Ventura 73:
3-Dre Vega, SG - 1/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 3 pf, 5 pts
10-Lisa Marie Sanchez, PG - 3/10 fg, 13/13 ft, 5 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl, 1 pf, 21 pts
11-Adrianne Sloboh, PF - 4/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 13 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 9 pts
20-Cynthia Hernandez, SF - 5/15 fg, 7/8 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 20 pts
44-Brooke Dixon, C - 4/5 fg, 5/7 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 13 pts
14-Makayla Morrison, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
41-Joi Moten, C - 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
23-Micaela Pericone-Kapp, G - 1/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 3 pts
21-Madison O'Donnell, F - 0 pts
2-Lexi Hinojosa, G - 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 18/48 fg (.375), 28/32 ft (.875), 37 reb, 11 ast, 0 blk, 8 stl, 16 pf, 71 pts
3-pt fg (7): Hernandez 3, Sanchez 2, Vega, Pericone-Kapp
Turnovers (16): Dixon 4, Vega 3, Sanchez 3, Sloboh 2, Pericone-Kapp 2, Moten, O'Donnell
Halftime Score: Ventura 28, Moorpark 24
Updated Records: Ventura (#1-South, #1-Calif) 21-3, 6-0 in WSC-N; Moorpark (#10-South) 13-9, 4-2 in WSC-N
Ventura led by 12 at 20-8 and 23-11 in the 1st half.
Moorpark led 44-41 and it was last tied at 50.
After R.Abraham fouled out, Ventura started to pull away. Sanchez' 4 FTs in the last minute clinched the win.
