Moorpark College men’s basketball lost a breathtaking battle at Ventura College on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. by a score of 70-65.

Ventura was the first team to score in this game and they went on a little run, but the Raiders were able to take it to a whole new level when they scored an incredible 17 straight points to bring the score to 25-15 with just above six minutes left in the first half. The Raiders, similar to last time they played Ventura, even had the lead going into halftime with a four point, 32-28, advantage. Assistant men’s basketball coach Chris Morgan is thrilled at how his team has played this year, especially against a team as tough as Ventura.

“Words can’t express how proud we are of the team,” Morgan said. “It’s just about us focusing on the guys with the same jersey.”

The second half was when the excitement went through the roof. The packed gym, that only offered standing room at this point, consisted of all fans on their feet cheering their team to victory in the back and forth action.

The Raiders were tremendous on the offensive end to start the half, but it seemed that each time they scored, the Pirates would find a way to knock down a big shot. Moorpark was able to hold onto the lead until the two minute mark in the game when Ventura was able to make a 3-pointer to give them a 61-60 lead over Moorpark. After another made shot by Ventura to stretch their lead to 63-60, the Raiders’ guard, Cole Micek, knew that his team needed to score, so he shot a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 63-63 with only 50 seconds remaining. Raiders’ Assistant Coach, Chris Morgan, mentioned his thoughts about Micek’s clutch shooting this game.

“He’s kind of earned that opportunity,” Morgan said. “We didn’t need a three, but he felt he was open.”

Directly following Micek’s 3-pointer, the Pirates made one of their own to receive a 66-63 lead over Moorpark with thirty-five seconds remaining. This game was far from over, and Moorpark showed that by scoring again to make the score 67-65 in favor of Ventura following a Pirates free-throw with just under 13 seconds left. This is when the controversial ending occurred.

The Raiders had possession with under 13 seconds left, then suddenly a Pirate stole it away and went up for a dunk, but missed it while hanging onto the rim. The Raiders were able to secure the rebound and advance it down the court, but then the ball was poked out of bounds and called out against Moorpark. Head Coach of the Raiders Gerred Link was then called for a technical foul, which resulted in two made free-throws by Ventura. A quick foul then resulted in another made free-throw for the Pirates, which ended the breathtaking game with a 70-65 Ventura win. Head Coach, Gerred Link, was positive following the game despite the loss.

“Overall we were ready,” Link said. “Our guys battled, it shows that we are right there.”

The Raiders’ star of the night was Raiders’ Center, Justice De Corsi, who recorded 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.