Awkward Shot Looks Good in a Moorpark Victory

It wasn’t the prettiest shot Ron Russ of Moorpark High will ever take.

He even shot the basketball with his off hand.

But the Musketeers were not quibbling about the result.

Not after Russ sank a short jumper with three seconds remaining to give Moorpark a 67-65 victory Tuesday night over Camarillo in a nonleague game at Camarillo High.

“He’s right-handed, but he shot it with his left hand and the thing just fell in nicely,” said Coach Tim Bednar of the Musketeers (4-0).

The basket bailed out Moorpark, The Times’ fifth-ranked team in the region, which had a seemingly comfortable 62-50 lead with 3:40 left in the game.

“They made a nice comeback and took advantage of our mistakes down the stretch,” Bednar said.

Camarillo (3-2), which finished second to the host Pioneers in the Simi Valley tournament Saturday, came back on the outside shooting of guard Ian Campbell.

He scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including two three-point baskets.

The Scorpions went on a 15-3 run in the closing minutes, tying it on two free throws by Brad Boyer with 17.9 seconds to play.

The comeback came to a grinding halt with the basket by Russ, and time expired before Camarillo could respond.

“I knew the clock was running out and I had to take [the shot],” Russ said. “We have good focus and poise and we can pull out games like this.”

Bednar said one of the team’s noticeable improvements from last season, when the Musketeers went 19-11, is their offensive balance.

Moorpark was led by Greg Estandia with 17 points and nine rebounds and Blake Sharpe with 15 points, six rebounds and five steals.

But it was Russ who took the the final shot. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Peter Kauffmann had 11 points for Moorpark.

Despite the disappointing defeat, Coach Mike Prewitt of Camarillo tried to keep it in perspective.

“The positive is they played hard and didn’t quit,” Prewitt said. “We just need to play smarter and do a better job of taking care of the basketball.”

Jared Jungwirth had 15 points for Camarillo.