Young Lifts Moorpark in Overtime

Freshman guard Sean Young converted a pair of 3-point shots in overtime to lead Moorpark College to a 78-71 victory over defending tournament champion Rio Hondo in the first round of the 20th Moorpark College/Camarillo Kiwanis basketball tournament Thursday at Moorpark.

“Sean was a little hesitant about taking the shots,” Moorpark Coach Al Nordquist said. “We are a young team, but our players are learning to play under pressure.”

Center Alex Porter led Moorpark (5-1) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Young added 13 points.

Moorpark had led the entire game before the Roadrunners battled back to tie the score, 65-65, on a 3-point basket by Byron Ferguson with 2 seconds left in regulation.

Brian Lockley led Rio Hondo (1-5) with a game-high 22 points.

Moorpark will play Oxnard in the second round at 7 tonight, creating a reunion of sorts for Nordquist and Remy McCarthy, a former player and assistant coach at Moorpark who now heads the Oxnard program.

“History repeats itself,” Nordquist said. “When I was a player and assistant coach for Rex Dixson at Compton College when I first started coaching, I also ended up playing against him as Remy will do against me tomorrow night.”

In other first-round games, Oxnard routed the Occidental junior varsity, 96-69, Pasadena City defeated West Los Angeles, 111-80, and Ventura defeated Citrus College 101-91.

Oxnard’s Randy Carter had a game-high 22 points as Oxnard improved to 6-2. Jeff Samuel scored 22 points to pace Pasadena, which improved to 6-2. West Los Angeles is 1-4.

Leo Parker had a game-high 25 points for Ventura (9-1). Citrus dropped to 1-3.