Ventura Can’t Stop Transfer of Power in a 48-38 Setback

Too much Dominic Ingerson and a lack of quality shooting did in the Ventura High boys’ basketball team in a Channel League game against Santa Barbara on Friday night.

The Cougars (13-6, 2-1 in league play) won nine of their previous 10 games but made only 11 of 43 shots and couldn’t contain Ingerson in the fourth quarter of a 48-38 loss.

Ingerson, a 6-foot-3 junior transfer from Oakland McClymonds who showed up unannounced at Santa Barbara on the first day of school, scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Dons (16-2, 2-0) to their 10th consecutive victory.

“He was a concern of ours,” Coach Dan Larson of Ventura said. “They funnel a lot of their offense through him.”

Ingerson, one of three transfers on the Santa Barbara roster, hit seven of 14 shots in the game and was four of four in the fourth quarter.

His first basket of the final quarter was a three-pointer over Scott Ellis. It gave the Dons a 37-27 lead with 7:42 left.

His second was a 17-foot jumper over Ellis that gave Santa Barbara a 44-36 advantage with 2:18 to play.

His third basket was a 15-foot jumper that gave the Dons a 46-36 lead. His fourth was a short bank shot following a steal that gave Santa Barbara a 48-36 lead with 42 seconds left.

“In the first half, he [tried to do] too much,” Coach Jeff Lavender said of Ingerson. “But he’s such an offensive threat that he can usually get his shot off when he wants.”

Ventura, which is aiming for its first league title since 1992-93, made five of 12 shots in the first quarter to take a 12-9 lead. The Cougars were six of 31 in the last three quarters.

Tyler Ebell of Ventura, who scored 18 points, had eight points on three-of-seven shooting in the first quarter.

Michael Derse, who added 11 points, was two of two, but he and Ebell cooled off after that.

“We didn’t shoot well,” Derse said. “But you can’t blame it all on that. They’re a good team. You have to give them some of the credit.”

Ventura trailed, 34-27, at the end of the third quarter.

Ingerson’s three-pointer gave Santa Barbara a 10-point lead 18 seconds into the quarter and the Cougars never got closer than six points after that.

Ebell’s third three-pointer cut Ventura’s deficit to 40-34 with 4:20 left. Two free throws by Derse made it 42-36 with 2:43 left.

But Ingerson scored the next six points to seal it.

“It’s kind of been a learning curve with him,” Lavender said. “He’s such a good player that he can score a lot of points. But we want him to get the rest of the team involved in the offense too.”

Santa Barbara led, 22-21, at halftime after Ventura committed its seventh foul to put the Dons into the bonus free-throw shooting situation with 5:47 left in the second quarter.

Santa Barbara took only six shots in the quarter, but made three of them to go with a six-of-eight effort from the line.

Ventura led, 12-9, after one quarter but made only three of 12 shots in the second quarter.

Ebell, who had 12 points in the first half, hit a baseline runner over two onrushing Santa Barbara defenders to give the Cougars a 16-12 lead with 5:25 left in the quarter, but Ventura made only two of nine shots for the remainder of the quarter.

The Cougars made eight of 24 shots in the first half and three of five from the foul line.