The road can be treacherous in the Channel League.
San Marcos found out Wednesday night at Ventura. The host Cougars played smothering defense and shut down the Royals, 41-38, at Bob Tuttle Gym.
“Ventura played an outstanding game,” San Marcos coach Landon Boucher said. “Their defense was stellar. We never could get in any kind of rhythm offensively.”
Bryce Fausset came up big for the Cougars, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Dustin Houck led the way with 14 points and five rebounds.
Scott Everman scored 18 points for San Marcos, which dropped into a three-way tie for first place in league with Ventura and Santa Barbara at 3-1. The Royals (17-5) play at Santa Barbara on Friday to start the second round.
After being down by five to start the fourth quarter, Ryan McCarthy gave Santa Marcos a two-point lead (38-36) when he knocked down a 3-pointer with two minutes left. But Ventura (15-7, 3-1) came back and reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer by Fausset.
“The emotional high of finally taking the lead, to the emotional low of losing the lead the very next play was deflating,” said Boucher.
