Oxnard Gives Ball Away and Valley Takes Victory

‘Tis the season to be charitable but the Oxnard College men’s basketball team was a bit too giving Tuesday night.

The Condors turned over the ball 17 times--11 in the second half--and Valley took advantage of almost every one to post a 77-73 Western State Conference interdivisional basketball victory at Valley.

Valley (5-4, 1-0) used a tenacious full-court press and strong rebounding in the second half to rally from a 33-31 halftime deficit to secure the victory.

“I thought (the press) was effective,” Valley Coach Doug Michelson said. “What we got out of it was kind of subtle.”

It looked more like points.

The Monarchs had two substantial runs in the second half to take the lead. The first one was a 11-2 streak which gave them a 42-36 lead with 15:42 left in the game. Valley then went on a 13-2 run that culminated with a tip-in by forward Wayne Carlisle with 6:50 to play that gave Valley a 60-55 lead.

Carlisle, a sophomore from Grant High, came off the bench to score 20 points. He added seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Oxnard (3-6, 0-1) pulled to within 72-69 on a free throw by Clayton Howard with 1:39 remaining.

The Monarchs responded with two free throws by point guard Dewauen Nunnery, another by center Eric Grayson and a basket by Carlisle on an offensive rebound to increase the lead to 77-69 with 24 seconds to play.

Grayson, a sophomore from Van Nuys High, finished with 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

The Condors had the upper hand in the early going but lost it gradually, especially under the heat of the Valley press in the second half. But Oxnard Coach Ron McClurkin said his team’s problems were caused by other factors.

“We just threw the ball away in our regular offense,” McClurkin said. “That’s what happens when you have 11 freshmen (on the team).”

Oxnard blitzed Valley with a 10-1 run after the tipoff, with forward Wendell Nunnery and guard Larry Reed each scoring four points.

Reed had 14 points, one less than Ramon Franklin. Nunnery had nine points. The Monarchs never led in the first half, but gradually cut the Oxnard lead behind the inside shooting of Carlisle, who had eight points in the half.

“That was part of our plan, to push the ball inside,” Michelson said.

Oxnard got a great defensive effort from Franklin, who pulled down 10 rebounds, and 6-foot-11 center Jerome Archie, who also had 10 boards.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Valley. Oxnard has lost two in a row.