Ventura Says 73 in a Row Enough for Buena, 67-55

It had all the ingredients for a great drama: bitter rivals, a great plot, a sold-out box office and even a marquee star.

An overflow crowd of more than 1,400--including Kevin Costner--witnessed a thriller of a girls’ basketball game that finished with a twist on the usual script.

Ventura High defeated Buena, 67-55, on Wednesday night at Buena, leaving the teams to share the Channel League championship and ending Buena’s league winning streak at 73 games, one short of the Ventura County record.

“What an exciting, great game,” Kristine Gleisberg of Ventura said.

The Cougars ended a run that dated to 1994 and gave the Cougars (24-1, 7-1 in league play) a share of their first title since 1991.

The Bulldogs (21-5, 7-1) lost for the fifth time this season, the most ever during Coach Joe Vaughan’s legendary career, but still claimed a share of their 12th consecutive Channel championship.

“It’s very disappointing,” Vaughan said. “But you can’t change it. All you can do is right the ship and look ahead.”

Ahead for both teams is the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs. A coin flip, probably today, will determine which team will advance as the league’s No. 1 team.

Ventura, ranked No. 2 in the region by The Times, enters the postseason on a high after making 10 three-pointers and expanding a 37-34 halftime lead to 17 points against the nation’s No. 25 team by USA Today.

Seven players scored at least six points, led by Alex Gientke’s 16. Sophomore guard Katy O’Brien added 10 points, and Gleisberg and Liz Newman each had nine points.

Courtney LaVere had 20 points and Courtney Young added 18 for the Bulldogs. Kelly Greathouse, the county’s leading scorer at 21 points per game, had seven points and 10 rebounds.

The Cougars outrebounded, out-shot and out-clutched No. 1 Buena. Ventura’s bench outscored Buena’s, 22-5.

When the Bulldogs closed a 43-34 deficit to 46-43 in the third quarter, Ventura reeled off 14 consecutive points.

“We knew in our hearts we could do it,” said O’Brien, who had five assists. “We just had the will to win.”

They had done it before.

On Dec. 11, Ventura upset the Bulldogs, 60-57, to win the Buena tournament. Buena handed the Cougars their only loss, 42-32, on Jan. 20 at Ventura.

This one was for bragging rights.

“I think people will take us seriously now,” Coach Glenn Gray II of Ventura said. “These kids have worked hard and proved that they can play well when they want to.”

They stayed focused on winning a share of the title, not on a hostile gym, winning streaks or the movie star who once played “C” level boys’ basketball at Buena.

“We didn’t put a face on Buena,” Gientke said. “We just said they’re another team and we have to go out and get it done.”