February 14, 2012
Men's Basketball Needs a Win Over Ventura Wednesday Night
The last game of the regular season is also one of the most important for the Allan Hancock College men’s basketball team. Currently in third place in the Western State Conference, the Bulldogs are on the bubble for a playoff berth and need a win against the second place Ventura College Pirates to improve their position. The Bulldogs lost to the Pirates 70-77 in their last matchup at Ventura.
“It’s a tough place to win on the road at Ventura and it’s a tough place to win at Hancock,” Gorton said. “Our players are excited and pumped up for this game.”
Hancock is currently 7-4 in conference and 20-8 overall. With only one game left on the schedule the Bulldogs will not be able to defend their 2010-11 conference championship title, but the team hit another important milestone this season. This was the first 20 win season for the basketball program in more than 20 years and Ralph Gorton’s first as a head coach.
Hancock started the season strong, winning 10 of 14 games on the road and were 14-4 going into their first conference matchup against Cuesta College, a game in which three of the team’s top players were injured: Abe Millsap, Jordan O’Byrne and Taylor Pruett.
The team lost that game to Cuesta and went on to win six out of their next nine games, falling to Ventura, Cuesta and Los Angeles Pierce College. The Hancock basketball team is in a good place physically and mentally heading into the end of the season and hopefully, the playoffs, according to Gorton.
“We’re getting healthy and peaking again,” Gorton said. “If we go to the state tournament we’ll be the dark horse to take the entire thing.”
The Bulldogs play their last game of the regular season at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Playoff seeding will be determined on Monday, Feb. 20.
“It’s a tough place to win on the road at Ventura and it’s a tough place to win at Hancock,” Gorton said. “Our players are excited and pumped up for this game.”
Hancock is currently 7-4 in conference and 20-8 overall. With only one game left on the schedule the Bulldogs will not be able to defend their 2010-11 conference championship title, but the team hit another important milestone this season. This was the first 20 win season for the basketball program in more than 20 years and Ralph Gorton’s first as a head coach.
Hancock started the season strong, winning 10 of 14 games on the road and were 14-4 going into their first conference matchup against Cuesta College, a game in which three of the team’s top players were injured: Abe Millsap, Jordan O’Byrne and Taylor Pruett.
The team lost that game to Cuesta and went on to win six out of their next nine games, falling to Ventura, Cuesta and Los Angeles Pierce College. The Hancock basketball team is in a good place physically and mentally heading into the end of the season and hopefully, the playoffs, according to Gorton.
“We’re getting healthy and peaking again,” Gorton said. “If we go to the state tournament we’ll be the dark horse to take the entire thing.”
The Bulldogs play their last game of the regular season at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Playoff seeding will be determined on Monday, Feb. 20.