BASKETBALL MEN’S STATE JUNIOR COLLEGE PLAYOFFS : Neal, Ventura Control Golden West, 78-63

Sophomore center Lester Neal turned in a dominating performance to help Ventura College extend its winning streak to 15 games and defeat Golden West, 78-63, Saturday night in a first-round game of the Southern California regional men’s basketball tournament.

The 6-foot-6 Neal scored 22 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked three shots.

“Lester is like a bad cold, he’s always around and he stays with you,” Ventura Coach Phil Mathews said about his center’s play around the basket.

Golden West (11-20), seeded 31st in the 32-team tournament, did not help Ventura fine-tune its game. The Rustlers discovered that the lane is Neal’s domain.

“We weren’t underestimating them,” Neal said. “But I did come out with my own intentions of dominating the lane.”

Ventura, the Western State Conference Northern Division champions and the second-seeded team, dominated the first half, holding Golden West to five field goals and opening up a 43-22 lead.

When Neal, the state’s leading rebounder, was not in the lane, forward Calvin Curry was, adding 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Pirate guards DiJon Bernard and Jerry Dalton scored 17 and 14 points.