With Ventura clinging to a 1-point lead in the final minutes, PG Jalen Young and SF Jon McMurry each blocked a Moorpark shot in the final seconds and the ghosts from the rafters of the VC Athletic Event Center swatted away several more, allowing the host Pirates to escape with a 57-56 win and move into first place in the WSC-North Wednesday night.
McMurry gave Ventura (12-10, 5-1) a 57-56 lead with a pair of free throws with 2:38 remaining. Incredibly, those were the last points of the game, and somehow Moorpark missed 7 shots from point-blank range in the final two minutes.
The final sequence began with 20.5 seconds left when McMurry missed a free throw - the front end of a one-and-one - and SF Shaquille Moore got the rebound for Moorpark (8-10, 4-2). Then in the front court, Moore drove from the left elbow and shot, but Young swatted it away. Ctr Austin Howell got the rebound and tried for a putback from the left baseline, but McMurry atoned for his missed free throw by blocking that shot away. The ball bounced off several hands before it was corraled by PF Vondel Faniel of Ventura just before the clock ran out.
Before Young and McMurry blocked those shots, Moorpark had several chances to take a lead in the final two minutes and somehow never did. On one sequence, the Raiders missed 3 lay-ups on one trip down the floor. Moore missed a shot with about a minute left. PG Richard Thomas missed one with about 40 seconds left. Moore missed another from the lane with 20.5 seconds to go.
Legend has it that, much like the old Boston Garden, the VC Athletic Event Center has its own helpful spirits that have inhabited the upper reaches of the building since the days of Phil Mathews in the 1980s. And they must have made an appearance Wednesday night, preventing Moorpark from making those shots; it really is the only reasonable explanation.
After shooting 52% from the floor in the first half and taking a 13-point lead with 17:41 left, Moorpark saw the shots stop going in and the Pirates rally. The Raiders ended up shooting just 20% from the floor in the second half, and scored just 13 more points in that final 17:41 as the Ventura defense and the ghosts took over.
Another helpful development for Ventura in the second half was the shooting of SG Ivan Dooley, who scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, including 3 of his 4 three-pointers. Dooley brought Ventura within 5 points at 49-44 with a 3-pointer, and made 2 of 3 free throws with 9 minutes left to bring the Pirates within a point at 49-48. After Moorpark got a 3-pointer and a free throw a little later from Moore, Dooley made another three to make it 53-51. Then McMurry scored on a putback with just over 5 minutes left to tie the score at 53.
SF Spencer Smith split two free throws with 3:56 left to give Moorpark a 54-53 lead. Faniel made a pair of free throws with 3:21 left to put Ventura in front, 55-54. Smith scored on a putback - after drawing the defense to him, PF Adrian Powditch threw a wild shot off the rim that Smith easily rebounded, so give Powditch an "Iverson Assist" - to give Moorpark a 56-55 lead with just under 3 minutes left. McMurry made his 2 free throws for Ventura with 2:38 left to give Ventura the lead. The ghosts - and the tandem of Young and McMurry in the final seconds - made sure that lead held up.
For much of the night, it looked like Moorpark was ready to win its 5th straight game and move into first place in the division. The Raiders scored the game's first 4 points and led, 8-2. Smith, who gave the Raiders a big lift in the first half with 10 points and a lot of energy, scored from the baseline to make it 22-15. SG Shayan Boloor made a 3-pointer to make it 27-18. Smith made a turnaround jumper from the baseline to make it 35-25.
Ventura cut the deficit to 8 points at the half, but Moore scored on a driving lay-up less than 20 seconds into the second half to restore Moorpark's double-digit lead at 38-28. Moore scored on a short hook to push the margin to a dozen at 42-30 less than 2 minutes into the second half. A free throw by Howell with 17:41 made it 43-30.
But after that the ghosts took over. And with their assistance, it was Ventura that moved into first place with the win, staying a game ahead of Moorpark, Canyons and Cuesta, all tied with 4-2 records in a division in which only the division champion is assured of making the playoffs.
Dooley led all scorers with his 18 pts, and he added 5 rebs, 2 blocks and 2 steals. McMurry had 17 pts, 4 rebs and 2 blocks, one of which was on the final play of the game. Faniel had a double-double with 10 pts and a game-high 14 rebs. Young had 6 pts, a team-high 5 asts and one very important blocked shot.
For Moorpark, Moore had a team-high 14 pts plus 6 rebs, 2 asts and a steal. Howell just missed a double-double with 13 pts and a team-high 9 rebs plus 2 steals and an assist. Smith came off the bench for 13 pts, including 10 pts on 5-for-5 from the floor in the first half. Thomas had 6 pts and a game-high 6 asts.
box score
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 7 pm
at the Ventura College Athletic Event Center
WSC-North
Moorpark Raiders 56:
10-Shaquille Moore, SF - 5/16 fg, 3/4 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 14 pts
11-Richard Thomas, PG - 3/12 fg, 5 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
15-Shayan Boloor, SG - 3/12 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 8 pts
21-Austin Howell, C - 5/12 fg, 3/4 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 13 pts
22-Adrian Powditch, PF - 0/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 pf, 2 pts
12-Spencer Smith, F - 6/8 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 2 pf, 13 pts
2-J.R. Powell, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
44-Stephen Saksa, C - 0 pts
1-Jerrel Harris, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 22/64 fg (.344), 10/14 ft (.714), 33 reb, 12 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl, 15 pf, 56 pts
3-pt fg (2): Moore, Boloor
Turnovers (6): Moore 2, Thomas 2, Howell, Powditch
Ventura Pirates 57:
4-Ivan Dooley, SG - 5/12 fg, 4/7 ft, 5 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 18 pts
21-Jalen Young, PG - 3/6 fg, 1 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 6 pts
32-Vondel Faniel, PF - 3/7 fg, 4/5 ft, 14 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 10 pts
33-Jon McMurry, SF - 6/14 fg, 3/4 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 17 pts
44-Anthony Morman, C - 1/1 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 3 pf, 4 pts
2-Devin Smith, G - 0 pts
23-Eric Davis, F - 1/2 fg, 2 reb, 2 pts
11-Rodney Bryant, G - 0/4 fg, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
22-Najee Seabrooks, F - 0/4 fg, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 0 pts
41-Dennis Savoy, C - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 19/51 fg (.373), 13/18 ft (.722), 43 reb, 11 ast, 7 blk, 4 stl, 13 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (6): Dooley 4, McMurry 2
Turnovers (17): Dooley 4, Faniel 4, Seabrooks 3, Morman 2, McMurry, Bryant, team 2
Halftime Score: Moorpark 36, Ventura 28
Updated Records: Ventura 12-10, 5-1 in WSC-N; Moorpark 8-10, 4-2 in WSC-N
Moorpark led by 13 at 43-30 with 17:41 left, but shot 20% (7/35) from the floor in the 2nd half.
McMurry's 2 FTs with 2:38 left gave Ventura a 57-56 lead and were the last points of the game.
Moorpark missed 7 close-in shots in the last 2 minutes; Young & McMurry blocked the last 2 in the final seconds.
