Ventura’s 600th couldn’t have come against a more fitting opponent

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Congratulations go out to Ventura girls’ basketball, which won the program’s 600th game on Thursday against a fitting rival: Buena.

The Cougars won at home, 42-33, and have now won the first two of three games the fierce rivals will play against each other during the regular season. On a larger scale, Ventura has won 10 of its last 13 games against Buena.

According to the Ventura County Star, Thursday’s victory was classic: Ventura’s leading scorer, Nicole Frank, who has averaged a modest 8.7 points, was held scoreless. Most nights that would be a bad deal.

But Ventura got eight or nine points from three others -- Victoria Brubaker, Jordan Clegg and Kristin Wilson. The Cougars also scored 19 consecutive points in the first half, and they continued to play the kind of defense that has yielded 15 victories in 16 games.

Ventura is matched in a pretty good game Saturday against another team that was on the cusp of breaking into The Times top 25: Norco (12-5). That game will be played at 3:30 p.m. at Magnolia High as part of the Southern Section Team Challenge. Norco was beaten by Corona Santiago on Thursday for the first time since opening in 1995, 54-47.

-- Martin Henderson