Moorpark Locks Up Riccio

If shutting down Joey Riccio is the key to beating Santa Paula High, Moorpark had the master Friday night.

Riccio was attacked from every angle and managed just two baskets, allowing Moorpark to embarrass first-place Santa Paula, 82-57, in a Frontier League boys’ basketball game at Moorpark.

Moorpark outplayed The Times’ No. 7-ranked team in the region from start to finish.

“I thought we were really prepared tonight to play,” Moorpark Coach Tim Bednar said. “You could see it in their eyes.”

Revenge was what Bednar was seeing. Three weeks ago, Santa Paula overcame a 10-point deficit in the second quarter and beat Moorpark, 67-63.

Riccio, the league’s leading scorer, had 32 points in that one. A loss to Calabasas followed for the Musketeers and suddenly Moorpark was two games out of first place and left hoping for a miracle.

“We felt we could have won the league,” Bednar said.

If nothing else, Moorpark (18-6, 5-2 in league play), which is 1 1/2 games behind Santa Paula (18-5, 7-1) with three to play, wanted to make sure Santa Paula didn’t think it was a pushover.

“We knew last time we didn’t play up to our capabilities,” senior forward Kevin Lawrence said. “We wanted to let them know we aren’t the team we played like last time.”

Lawrence grabbed 19 of his team’s 46 rebounds, including 12 in the first half, and scored 16 points. When Riccio ventured down the lane, Lawrence didn’t exactly lay out the welcome mat.

“We had to stop his penetration,” Lawrence said. “His main thing is driving with his head down. We knew we had to cut him off on his drive. We knew if we shut him down, we would win [because] 70% of their offense is Riccio.”

Riccio, a guard who averages 23.5 points a game, made only two of 14 shots.

“We wanted him to work for all his points,” said Bednar of Riccio, who finished with 10 points and five assists.

Moorpark scored the game’s first 10 points--eight by Lawrence--and never let up.

Santa Paula managed to cut the lead to 23-18 midway through the second quarter on a jumper by Willie Zavala. But Moorpark outscored the Cardinals, 10-1, in the final 4:46 of the quarter for a 33-19 halftime lead.

Moorpark built the lead to 46-26 on a basket by Byron Burnett with 4:21 to go in the third. Burnett finished with 17 points.

Moorpark made 12 of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Keith Donahue had 24 points for Moorpark and made nine of 11 free throws. Shawn Corkery added 10 points.