The Ventura High School gym was silent as junior Daniel Holst prepared for the jump ball to signal the start of the varsity boys’ basketball team’s last home game of the season. According to Varsity Coach Dean Prophet, the team faced a “tough” defeat on Wednesday against Fillmore High School 55-57.

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The Ventura High School gym was silent as junior Daniel Holst prepared for the jump ball to signal the start of the varsity boys’ basketball team’s last home game of the season. According to Varsity Coach Dean Prophet, the team faced a “tough” defeat on Wednesday against Fillmore High School 55-57.

The Dragons won first possession of the ball when Holst won the jump ball. However, the Flashes stole the ball and quickly scored the first point of the night. Holst felt that the Dragons “battled hard” and they scored six consecutive points.

Sophomore Colin Vallance fell to the ground with an opponent after Vallance was able to jump for a rebound and pass the ball to his teammate. The Dragons ended the first quarter behind by three points with a score of 8-11.

The second quarter of the game started with a basket by Holst, bringing the score to 10-11. The teams took turns scoring until Holst was fouled and got two points for his team. Junior Tyler Ragan-Sutton and Vallance stole the ball and Ragan-Sutton scored a point for the Dragons.

The Flashes attempted to counterattack by throwing the ball from their defensive half of the quart to the basket. However, a foul was committed against Ragan-Sutton and he scored another point for the Dragons. Foothill ended the half ahead by one point, 23-22.

The second half of the game began when Vallance threw the ball in bounds. Junior Devin Brown later increased their  two-point lead by five points when he scored for the Dragons, driving the score up to 30-25.

Foothill then stole the ball and Ragan-Sutton quickly counterattacked, bringing the score to 32-25. Fillmore then came back to end the third quarter behind by one point, 38-39.

Fillmore had first possession of the ball during what Holt believed was a “very intense” fourth quarter of the game. However, the Dragons scored the first point of the quarter.

The Dragons counted down the time left on the clock after freshman Jack Vielbig scored, pushing the score up 54-49. However, the Flashes quickly caught up, and with less than ten seconds left on the clock, Fillmore scored, ending the game with a Foothill loss, 55-57.

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“The basketball gods just weren’t on our side [today],” Junior Varsity Coach Anthony Unchangco said.

Unchangco felt that there were some calls and shots that “didn’t go their way.” However, he feels that “the best thing that [he] can ask for is a competitive game and that’s what it was.”

Prophet thought that the boys “played their hearts out” and that their improvements compared to the previous matchup against Fillmore were shown through the score of the game. The Dragons previously lost to the Flashes 55-70. However, the Dragons only lost by two points, 55-57 during Wednesday’s game.

Holst felt that the team “battled all the way through [the game]” and saw improvement, despite the challenges that they faced.

“We hit some tough shots, we missed some tough shots. But I think we are getting better definitely. Throughout the season we have totally gotten better,” Holst said.

Holst felt that the team had a “fun” season and became a “more cohesive unit.”

“It’s had its ups and downs. We’ve lost some games, we’ve won a couple games,” Holst said. “But overall it’s been a productive season for the program.”

Vielbig felt “a lot of pressure” playing varsity as a freshman. However, he felt that it was a “good experience” and looks forward to next season.

“I think we’ve lost a lot of close ones that could have gone our way but you know, we’re building for next year and that’s what I’m excited for,” Vielbig said.

Background Photo Credit: Grace Carey/The Foothill Dragon Press