Boys’ basketball: Ventura prevails in 2AA final

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Ventura has won the Southern Section Division 2AA championship in dramatic fashion.

Dylan Houck made two free throws to give the Cougars a 56-53 lead with 10.3 seconds remaining in overtime. Evan Zeller grabbed an offensive rebound after a missed three-pointer and scored with 1.5 seconds left for Mission Viejo, but the Diablos had no timeouts and the clock ran out before Ventura inbounded the ball.

Jon McMurry had 13 points, Corey Quintana had eight and Jaren Wilson added seven for the top-seeded Cougars (29-2), who rallied from a 36-30 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. Jaren Wilson had seven points and Houck had six--all from the free throw line--for Ventura.

Houck made two free throws to give Ventura a 49-47 lead with 14.8 seconds left in regulation, but Mission Viejo’s James Cramer answered with a pair of free throws with 3.0 seconds left and McMurry missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.

Evan Zeller had 18 points, including a twisting layup that pulled the second-seeded Diablos (29-2) to within 47-45 with 53 seconds left in regulation. Cramer swished two free throws to tie it on Mission Viejo’s next possession.

Isaac Neilson had 16 rebounds and five blocks and Cramer finished with 12 points for second-seeded Mission Viejo.

-- Steve Galluzzo