Ventura Wins Title Against Shorthanded Moorpark

Sam Crawford stands only 5-foot-7, but his absence from the Moorpark College-Ventura game Saturday night left a gaping hole in the Moorpark lineup.

With the standout point guard missing the game for undisclosed personal reasons, visiting Moorpark had little chance against Ventura.

Ventura beat Moorpark, 89-68, to lock up the Western State Conference Northern Division title and register a two-game sweep of the regular-season series.

According to Damian Wilson, Crawford’s teammate and roommate, Crawford was out of town, but Moorpark Coach Al Nordquist would say only that Crawford was not missing because of disciplinary reasons and is expected to return for the next game, on Wednesday.

“It definitely hurt them, but I’m not going to take anything away from my team,” Ventura Coach Phil Mathews said.

“You’ve got to remember we beat them last time (94-91), with Sam, over there.”

Without Crawford, Moorpark looked as if it would need a map to find the basket at the start of the game.

Ventura took an 8-2 lead and stretched it to 36-23 before Moorpark found its bearings.

Wilson scored on consecutive three-point plays to cut the deficit to 38-37, but Ventura answered with seven consecutive points to take a 45-37 halftime lead.

Moorpark (24-5, 4-2 in division play) put its running game in gear early in the second half and closed the gap to two, 47-45.

Then, Ventura (27-4, 7-0) ran Moorpark out of the gym with a 17-4 outburst.

Uba Satterfield began and ended the binge with three-point baskets. Satterfield made all five of his three-point attempts and finished with a game-high 25 points.

“We played well in spurts,” Satterfield said. “We weren’t fluid tonight.”

Ventura might not have been fluid, but it sure drained its three-point shots, making eight of 14 attempts.

A deeper Ventura team finally wore down a Moorpark squad trying perhaps too hard to overcome the loss of Crawford.

“Our guys played hard but a little tight,” Nordquist said. “They played tentatively, missed layups, missed free throws.”

Wilson moved to point guard and had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. However, he hyperextended his left knee midway through the second half and struggled with his shooting thereafter.

Andre McFarlane, playing extensively with Crawford gone, scored 11 points, and Jimmy Galbert had 16.

Ventura’s Calvin Curry scored 16 points, and DiJon Barnard had 14. Lester Neal had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

After the game, Mathews sounded a familiar refrain.

“It would have been a totally different ballgame with Crawford there,” he said.

“When you get ready all week to play a great player and find out he’s not there, we were disappointed.”

Crawford’s absence did change the complexion of the game, but the results from the first meeting remained the same.

Give Round 2 to Ventura, on points.