HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL THOUSAND OAKS TOURNAMENT : St. Monica Tries Agoura Patience With 57-53 Win

Coach Kevin Pasky preached patience Friday night in the semifinals of the Thousand Oaks High tournament and his Agoura High team took that sermon to heart for three quarters against St. Monica.

But the Chargers (2-1) strayed from Pasky’s message in the fourth period and dropped a 57-53 decision to St. Monica, sending the Mariners (4-2) into tonight’s final against Vermont of Australia, a 64-45 winner over Thousand Oaks in the other semifinal. Agoura will face Thousand Oaks in tonight’s third-place game.

St. Monica forward Jahi Bacon scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, and point guard Alex Davis scored 23, including four free throws in the final minute, to clinch the win.

“We lost our poise and composure in the last quarter,” Pasky said. “You can’t play 24 minutes and expect to win.”

Agoura had taken a 42-36 lead with 1:04 left in the third period after Jeff Niemann scored on successive drives out of the Chargers’ patient spread offense. But Bacon carried St. Monica into a 42-42 tie, banking one shot in from the wing, going inside for another bucket and following up his own miss for a third basket with 5:22 remaining.

Bacon gave St. Monica the lead for good at 46-45, hitting a pair of free throws with 2:40 left. A lay-up from Justin Snowden gave St. Monica a three-point lead, and Bacon all but sealed the win with a minute and a half to go on a heady move off an in-bounds play.

The 6-4 senior took the ball out of bounds, fired the ball off defender Jon West’s back and then stepped in to scoop up the ball and put it in the basket for an easy layup, giving St. Monica a 50-45 edge.

The Mariners then hit seven of 11 free throws in the last minute to put the game away.

West led the Chargers with 19 points, and Eddie Corridori added 16.

In other tournament games:

Vermont 64, Thousand Oaks 45--The Vultures (4-2) used the scoring of postmen Jason Smith and Bradley Neil to reach the tournament final. Smith scored 18 points and Neil added 16.

Shane Graham led Thousand Oaks (2-1) with nine points.

Antelope Valley 51, Oxnard 47--Tony Livingston scored 20 points and came up with a key rebound with 18 seconds left as the Antelopes (4-3) won a consolation semifinal.

Livingston rebounded a missed free throw from teammate Zach Curtis and was fouled on a jumper. Livingston then hit the second of two free throws to clinch the win.

Jasper Satterwhite led Oxnard (3-4) with 19 points.

Hueneme 77, Faith Baptist 75 (OT)--Tony Smith had three of the Vikings’ four points in overtime and 29 for the game to guide Hueneme (3-3) to a consolation semifinal win.

James DeCarriere led Faith Baptist (4-3) with 24 points, and Alex Estrada (20) and Etienne Moore (18) combined for 38.