As Buena basketball faced off against cross town rival Ventura High School on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. They defended their home court and defeated Ventura 61-53, and secured Head coach Matthew Colton’s first win against the rivaling school, and Buena’s first victory against them in the last four years. 

Buena and Ventura have seen very different seasons going into this game, with Buena having the upper hand statistically based on wins and player averages. 

After the jump ball, Buena came out aggressive, with their first 3 possessions being attacks to the basket. Two three pointers were also made in the quarter, however Ventura’s defense was strong, and with Cameron’s presence in the paint, Ventura was up 16-11 at the end of the quarter.

Quarter two was a struggle for both teams on the offensive side of the court, with Ventura only making 1 basket and with Buena scoring a quick nine points to obtain the lead, and end the half at 20-18.  

With that close of a lead, Buena stuck out and outscored Ventura in quarters three and four, which secured them the win. 

For Buena, this is seen as a team win because of the many contributions done by the team. 

For Ventura, Liam Cameron had a 27 point double double and Caleb Gilbert dropped 15, four, and five.

Comparing the teams percentages and stats, Buena led in almost every stat category except turnovers (TO) and Assists, and Blocks, which the teams tied in. 

What really closed out this game was Buena’s commitment to grabbing offensive rebounds, which they led the game in, with 18 to Ventura’s five. This was a crucial part to the team’s second chance baskets. Buena also led in overall rebounds with 39 to Ventura’s 22. 

These teams have seen very different seasons going into this game, with Buena having the upper hand statistically based on wins and player averages. 

For Buena, they had a 10-5 record going into this game and was led by Senior Austin Schliecher in Points, (PPG) Rebounds, (RPG), and Assists (AST).

For Ventura, they had a 7-5 record going into this game and was led by Senior Caleb Gilbert who leads in PPG, and senior Liam Cameron who leads the team in RPG. 

Comparing the rosters, Buena’s biggest problem was their size. Buena’s current roster is their center position and size, when compared to Ventura, where 6’5 Senior, Brady Kilgore leads the team in height and the next tallest player is 6’4 Sophomore, Zane Carter, which is why Ventura utilizes Liam Cameron, a 7’0 tall center who plays in the paint. 

This game was a great team win for Buena. Colton’s coaching got them their first win in four years and his own first win against the rivaling school.