Top-Ranked Ventura Knows Way to San Jose

The chant started with 6 minutes 48 seconds to play and sprung up every so often afterward.

“San Jose. San Jose. San Jose,” yelled the throng of 2,000 packed in the Ventura College gym.

San Jose is where the Pirates are headed after blowing away Chaffey, 100-77, in the third round of the men’s Southern California Regional on Saturday night.

It’s the fifth consecutive trip to the State championships for Ventura, the defending champion.

“I feel good for me, I feel good for these guys and I feel good for this community,” first-year Coach Virgil Watson said. “We came out focused and determined to play.”

The Pirates (31-2), ranked first in the state, play City College of San Francisco in Thursday’s first round of the eight-team tournament.

Ventura blitzed Chaffey (28-8) with a 17-3 run to start the game and was not seriously challenged. It was the second consecutive season Ventura eliminated the Panthers in the third round.

Ventura dominated every aspect of the game, outrebounding Chaffey, 50-27, and converting 35 of 49 (71.4%) free throws while the Panthers made only 16 of 35 (45.7%).

The Pirates scored the final seven points of the first half to take a 46-33 lead.

The Panthers not only had to play catch-up throughout, but they had to do it with virtually every starter in foul trouble by the end of the first half. Five Panthers fouled out, including four starters.

Ventura led, 92-61, with 4:50 to play before the Panthers cut the deficit down the stretch with several insignificant baskets.

Sophomores Damian Cantrell and Shannon Taylor led Ventura with 13 points each and Gerald Zimmerman added 12 points and had three steals. Cantrell had a game-high 11 rebounds,

Guard Larry McCann came off the bench to lead Chaffey with 19 points.

Santa Monica 85, Antelope Valley 81--With one final opportunity to win in regulation, sixth-seeded Antelope Valley appeared to make good on that chance when Michael Hamelin hit an 80-foot shot as time expired.

Officials, however, ruled that time had expired and nullified the potential game-winning basket, and the Marauders lost in overtime in a third-round game at Santa Monica.

Santa Monica’s Austin McKellar, from Campbell Hall High, hit an off-balance shot with one second left in regulation to tie the score at 74-74.

Antelope Valley, bidding for its first appearance in the State tournament, ended its season at 26-7.