Orange Coast College

Men's Basketball: Pirates drop pair at Ventura Tournament

Friday, November 09, 2007

VENTURA - Nothing like jumping right into the deep end of the pool if you're the Orange Coast College men's basketball team.

Opening the season against one of the toughest teams in the state in Bakersfield, the Pirates opened strong, but could not sustain the pressure all night as the Renegades exploded for a 107-75 win in the opening round of the County Commerce Bank Tournament at Ventura College on Thursday.

OCC carried a 37-33 lead at the half over a Bakersfield team that went 30-3 a year ago. But the Renegades found their shooting touch, hitting 30 of 44 shots in the second half (68.2 percent) to outscore the Pirates 74-38.

Shaun Engle led the Pirates with 15 points, while Justin Dang added 12 and Brian Helmuth chipped in 10.

The loss dropped the Pirates into the loser's bracket, where they faced San Diego City on Friday and lost 88-72 to the Knights.

Eric O'Mahony led OCC with 16 points, while Helmuth provided a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

However, it was the balenced scoring of SD City that proved to be the difference as five players reached double digits in scoring, led by 18 points and 12 rebounds from Nehemiah Simpkins.

The Pirates will return home and face Moorpark in their home opener on Tuesday, beginning at 5 p.m.