Buena, Ventura Set Up Meeting With Victories

It was a localized version of the Final Four.

The top four girls’ basketball teams in The Times’ regional rankings squared off on Friday night in semifinals of the Buena tournament.

No. 1 Buena routed No. 4 Newbury Park, 75-39, in a game that was realistically over early in the third quarter.

Whatever drama that game may have lacked was more than made up for when No. 2 Ventura and No. 3 Alemany took the court afterward.

Ventura broke open a seesaw battle in the third quarter and claimed a 76-65 victory.

Ventura (3-0) will meet cross-town and Channel League-rival Buena (4-0) tonight at 8 for the championship. Alemany and Newbury Park will play for third place at 6:30.

“I’m just happy that we’re in the final because that means we beat a very good team,” said Coach Glenn Gray II of Ventura. “That was about as close as you get to playoff intensity during the regular season.”

Alex Gientke scored 23 points and Kristine Gleisberg added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Cougars, who broke a 38-38 tie early in the third quarter, after high-scoring guard Kate Beckler of Alemany went to the bench with her fourth foul.

By the time Beckler returned in the fourth quarter, the Indians (3-1) trailed, 57-48.

Beckler finished with 16 points, all in the first half, before fouling out. Nyasha Bralock scored a career-high 19 points and Alma Sandoval added 11 for the Indians.

Katy O’Brien of Ventura also scored 11 points.

The teams combined to break the tournament’s previous record of 133 points in a game.

“I don’t think either team ran more than 10 seconds off the [30-second] clock the entire game,” said Alemany Coach Melissa Hearlihy.

In other tournament games:

Buena 75, Newbury Park 39--Newbury Park stuck with the nation’s No. 7 team, trailing only 19-17 after one quarter, before Kelly Greathouse, Courtney LaVere and Courtney Young took over for Buena.

Greathouse had 24 points and eight rebounds, LaVere had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Young had 12 points, six assists and seven steals.

Lauren Sargent scored 11 points for the Bulldogs (4-0), who advance to the tournament final for the 23rd consecutive season. They are seeking their 21st title.

Nancy Pabon scored 10 points for the Panthers (2-1).

Hart 51, Santa Clara 34--Freshman Amanda Patton scored 19 points for Hart (3-2), which will meet Camarillo tonight at 5 for fifth place.

Camarillo 48, Highland 28--Leshelle Sargent had 11 points and Tanya Wismann added 10 for the Scorpions, who took a 10-0 lead.