The Santa Barbara High girls basketball team came agonizingly close to knocking off Ventura in the Channel League opener Tuesday night at J.R. Richards Gym.
The Dons rallied from seven points down to tie the score in the final two minutes of regulation and had a chance to take the lead on a layup with six seconds remaining. The ball, however, rolled off the rim and the game went into overtime.
Ventura prevailed in the extra period, scoring the last seven points to seal a 70-63 decision.
The loss dropped Santa Barbara’s record to 21-5, with two of the losses coming against Ventura. The other loss was in the Tournament of Champions third-place game.
Ventura’s defense held Ivette Gil, the Dons’ leading scorer, to 11 points. Melissa Lemus scored 21 points and Dessy Coleman tallied 13 to pace Santa Barbara.
The Dons led by one point at halftime, but trailed by five going into the fourth quarter.
