Ventura Pulls Away in Second Half : College basketball: Pirates defeat Rancho Santiago, 95-66, after trailing at halftime of second-round regional game.

Anybody who is serious about beating the Ventura College men’s basketball team should put the Pirates away when they have a chance.

If they don’t, the consequences can be devastating.

The Pirates trailed in double-digits in the first half before going on a rampage after intermission and routing Rancho Santiago, 95-66, in a second-round game of the Southern California regional playoffs before 3,400 Wednesday night.

Ventura (33-2) advances to a third-round game at home Saturday night against Imperial Valley, an 81-75 winner over Cerritos on Wednesday.

Ventura defeated Rancho Santiago in the second round for the second consecutive year. But the Pirates, seeded No. 1 in the regional, had to rally in the second half after trailing, 41-40, at intermission.

“We were mentally out of it,” Ventura Coach Philip Mathews said. “We knew they were very good defensively. We knew we had to do certain things offensively but we didn’t do them.”

What the Pirates did was commit seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes. They fell behind, 16-5, with 14 minutes 40 seconds left in the half.

Rancho Santiago (21-12) took advantage of the Ventura mistakes, and forward Matt Kordik scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half.

But Mathews switched defensive assignments on Kordik after halftime, taking forward Brandon Jessie off the 6-foot-7 sophomore and assigning guards D’Mitri Rideout and Tracy Lundy to rotate in tailing Kordik.

It worked to near perfection. Kordik managed only four points in the second half as the Pirates cranked up the pace and routed Rancho Santiago.

“I came out slow,” Jessie said. “(Mathews) said the guy was kicking my butt. I accepted the challenge.”

Unable to guard Kordik, Jessie took out his wrath on the offensive end.

The sophomore made nine of 11 shots in the second half (including two three-point baskets) and a free throw for 21 of his game-high 26 points. After Ventura guard Joey Ramirez opened the scoring in the second half with a three-point basket, Jessie scored the next 10 points for the Pirates.

Ramirez finished with 18 points and Steve Amar added 17. Center Michael Tate had a game-high 13 rebounds.

Forward Sean Amos had 24 points for Rancho Santiago.

“They are bigger and stronger than we are,” said Dana Pagett, the Rancho Santiago coach. “They just wore us down.”