Ventura threw off San Marcos with a variety defenses, and the Cougars knocked down seven 3-pointers to beat the Royals 50-34 in the Channel League boys basketball opener Wednesday night at Tuttle Gym.
“We were anemic on offense tonight and gave a good team too many easy perimeter looks,” San Marcos coach Jarrod Bradley said. “Ventura employed a number of defenses against us and we struggled to recognize them early and run effective sets.”
Dylan Houck tossed in four 3-pointers en route to 24 points for the Cougars (8-1, 1-0).
The Royals got a break when Houck picked up his third foul early in the third quarter but they couldn’t take advantage of it.
“I thought we’d make a run in the third with Houck out but we just couldn’t seem to hit the crucial shots,” Bradley said. “Give them credit, they played very good defense tonight and took us out of our comfort zone.”
Christian Mkpado scored 13 points and had 12 rebounds, while Chad Ridenour added 12 points and six boards for the Royals (8-2, 0-1).
“Chad and Christian were efficient tonight but it wasn’t enough with only four players scoring,” said Bradley.
