Westlake Finds an Ego Booster in 96-67 Victory

The first two games of the Marmonte League season were a bust for Westlake High.

But maybe the Warriors will be a little more confident after winning the Ventura boys’ basketball tournament by beating Calabasas, 96-67, in the championship game Saturday night.

Joey Cuppari scored 24 points after being held scoreless in the first quarter and the Warriors (7-5) can hold their heads higher when they resume league play Jan. 7 against Simi Valley.

“We realize we’re going against a college team, so we’ll do the best we can,” Westlake Coach Gary Grayson said. “If we play well against Simi Valley College, we’ll be OK.”

The Warriors, who lost their first two league games against Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park, played well in the tournament this week.

Cuppari, who was selected the tournament most valuable player, keyed a 14-4 run to end the first half, making a three-point basket and, on the Warriors’ next possession, converting a three-point play with a layup and a free throw.

The Warriors led at halftime, 46-24.

“We wanted to score quickly and end it quickly,” Cuppari said.

The Warriors were listless in a pool-play loss Friday night against Ventura, but were much more active against Calabasas.

“We knew we played bad [Friday] night,” Cuppari said.

The Warriors played better against the Coyotes than they did earlier this month, when they pulled out a 69-68 victory in the first round of the Westlake tournament.

In other tournament games:

Crespi 61, Agoura 58--If Chaminade and Harvard-Westlake glance in the Mission League rear-view mirror, they might see the Celts hanging around.

Crespi (6-6), which has won six of its past eight games, won the third-place game thanks to a fourth-quarter flurry.

The Celts trailed by 12 entering the final quarter, but closed the gap with the help of three-pointers by Howard Johnson and Andy Owings.

The Celts led, 59-58, with 11 seconds left when all-tournament selection Blake Tibbetts broke free and caught a length-of-the-court inbounds pass for a layup.

Tibbetts and Robert Muller each scored 12 for Crespi, which begins Mission League play Jan. 7 against Alemany.

“I think teams better take us seriously,” Crespi Coach Dick Dornan said. “We have a chance at any time because we have so much depth.”

Santa Clara 59, Buena 47--B.J. Ward, an all-tournament selection, scored 20 points for the Saints (4-5) in the fifth-place game.

Scott Sorich added 16 for Santa Clara.

Ventura 65, Highland 56--Jeff Staniland, an all-tournament selection, scored 23 points for the Cougars (3-8) in the seventh-place game.

Ventura made 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, with Staniland making eight of 10.

Wendell Bonner scored 23 points for Highland (3-10).