Opening night for Channel League girls basketball turned into a historic one for Dos Pueblos on Tuesday night at Sovine Gym.
The Chargers stunned defending champion Ventura, 75-74, in overtime, battling back from a six-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and a three-point disadvantage in the extra period for their first win against the Cougars since the mid-1990s.
“This is the start of history,” exclaimed DP coach Manny Murillo. “This game has been anticipated since the last game of our season last year. That was the last team to beat us and that ended our year. We put up a picture that Ventura took after they beat us on our home court for our kids to remember what happened in the last game of last season and that we can start off this season in different way.
“And they responded.”
Ahead 73-71, DP broke Ventura’s press, with senior Justine Katz scoring on a drive for a four-point lead with 32 seconds left.
Ventura’s Kai Staniland buried a three-pointer to make it a 75-74 game with 22 seconds left.
The Chargers showed tremendous poise in the final seconds as they passed the ball around with Ventura chasing them until the buzzer sounded.
“It feels crazy,” said an excited Katz, who scored 24 points, 15 coming in the second half and overtime. “It feels so good, like I can barely speak right now. It was such a fun game.”
Katz sparked a comeback from a 57-51 deficit with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter. She scored in the low post to spark a 7-0 run to give the Chargers their first lead of the game, 58-57, with 2:56 to go.
DP’s talented youngsters combined for the go-ahead basket. After Ventura missed a three-point shot, sophomore guard Carly Letendre pushed the ball in transition and fed freshman Taylor Grant who knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer.
Grant and Letendre each scored 13 points and freshman Eden Wynn added 12.
“It’s been really fun,” said Katz of playing with the underclassmen. “I love my team so much and I like working with these freshmen. I’ve played with them in club a little and just seeing what they can do, it’s crazy.”
Katz made it a 61-57 game with a three-pointer off pass from fellow senior Lia Papador with 1:43 to go in regulation.
Dos Pueblos got the ball back after a Ventura misfire from behind the arc, but the Chargers were called for traveling with 1:11 left.
Ventura’s Skyler Knight made a layup after another DP turnover, and the Cougars used their third and fourth team fouls to stop the clock.
After turning the ball over on another traveling call, the Chargers had fouls to give but didn’t realize it. Ventura’s Jessie Sebek made them pay as she got free for a layup with one second left to tie the score at 61 and send the game into overtime.
Katz said DP remained positive going into the extra period.
“We just kept the energy up. We knew it’d be just a couple more minutes to fight through, and we wanted it too much.”
The Chargers fell behind 66-63 as Knight scored off an inbound pass and knocked down a three-pointer. The reigning league MVP and All-Ventura County honoree led all scorers 26 points. Staniland scored 16 points.
Papador brought DP back with a couple of huge plays. She scored five points on a reverse layup and knocked down a three-pointer to put the Chargers ahead, 68-66 with 1:58 left in the overtime.
Jazmine Moore fed Sebek for a layup to tie the score for the Cougars before Papador delivered again. This time she drew a foul and made one of two free throws for a 69-68 lead. She finished with 10 points
Ventura turned the ball over against DP’s zone defense and Letendre converted at the other end with a clutch three-pointer to put the Chargers ahead by four, 72-68, with 1:08 to go.
Grant was fouled on a rebound and made one free throw for a five-point advantage.
Coach Ann Larson’s Cougars kept fighting as Kaiya Cooke buried a three to make a two-point game with 41 seconds left.
“I have love and respect for Ann and the foundation she set for coaches like myself,” said Murillo.
The Cougars, however, couldn’t break DP’s will. They broke Ventura’s press, with Katz scoring on a drive for a 75-71 lead with 32 seconds remaining.
Staniland hit a three with 22 seconds left, but the Cougars never touched the ball again as the Chargers did a terrific job of moving it around until the final buzzer.
Murillo said many of his players have been playing basketball together since grade school and that familiarity was a key to Tuesday’s big win.
“They’ve been through the fire for many, many years,” he said. “This specific group that we have all played together and have been through life stuff together, so when they face a little adversity out here on a court it really doesn’t rattle them.”
And after beating Ventura, Murillo believes his team is the one to beat for the league title.
“We’re the best team in the league, in my opinion,” he said. “I think we are the best team in the league and our kids believe it. I don’t care if anybody else believes it or not. We believe it. We believe it in our locker room. We believe every day.
“That’s our goal, to win league.”
The Chargers are off to a great start.
Dos Pueblos is now 6-1 overall while Ventura is 3-2.
