COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Ventura Topples Cerritos

Forward Hakeem Ward scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Ventura College, the state’s top-ranked team, to a convincing 87-62 victory over third-ranked Cerritos College in a semifinal game of the John Hancock tournament Wednesday.

“Our goal was to keep them off the offensive glass,” Ventura Coach Philip Mathews said.

“We were just the better team tonight. They didn’t play well, but I think we had something to do with that.”

Five players scored in double figures for the Pirates (17-0), including guards Shannon Taylor, who scored 17, and Jamal Cobbs, who contributed 15 points and eight assists.

“We like to play an up-tempo game and we like to press,” Matthews said.

“But we can play any type of game people throw at us.”

Leading by six, Ventura, which didn’t trail, put the Falcons (18-1) away with a 20-0 run with 12 minutes left.

Ventura, which forced 21 turnovers, stole eight passes, with Ward, Cobb and Jason Fay each snaring two.

“We played man-to-man defense the whole time and put a lot of pressure on them,” Mathews said.

“We just wore them down.”

Ventura will play Irvine Valley in the championship game tonight.

In other men’s games:

Antelope Valley 85, Moorpark 83--The Marauders upset the tournament defending champions when Orville Turner (22 points, 10 rebounds) hit a layup with one second left in the semifinals of the College of the Canyons tournament.

Moorpark’s Nick Foster missed a four-foot jumper in the final second, sending Antelope Valley to tonight’s final.

Antelope Valley guard Brandon McIntire made five of seven three-point attempts, and wound up with 15 points.

Nick Foster finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Raiders.

Twin brother Paul Foster fouled out with five minutes left after scoring 14 points and getting 11 rebounds.

Canyons 68, El Camino 53--The host Cougars outscored El Camino in the first half, 39-24.

Rashe Dorsey had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Kwesi Fulton contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Canyons will face Antelope Valley in tonight’s 8 p.m. championship game.

WOMEN

Valley 81, Antelope Valley 52--Playing against some familiar faces, Monarch forward Erika Kusek scored 18 points, making eight of 13 shots from the field, in the consolation quarterfinal round of the Fullerton tournament.

The freshman from Quartz Hill High hit four three-point shots and had four assists and two steals.

Yvonne Zandi had 15 points and 16 rebounds and Erika Upton had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Valley (10-5).