The Citrus College Owls look to beat the Ventura Pirates in the second round of the CCCAA Regional Tournament after receiving a first-round bye.
The Owls (21-6), seeded ninth, look to unseat the home team Pirates (25-2), seeded eighth, and continue their season.
“Everyone’s looking at Ventura like they’re going to beat us,” forward Hayden Dykstra said, “but I don’t think that’s the case.”
The team has been watching footage and going over their opponent’s plays all week, Dykstra said.
Nothing in their approach has changed just because it’s the playoffs, coach Brett Lauer said.
“We have depth,” Lauer said. “We have a lot of really great players that bring energy and positivity. They have good character and are highly competitive.”
Ventura is not going to be easy to beat, point guard Cedric Reed said.
“The McIntyre (Anthony and Adrian) brothers average 20 and 17 points together,” Reed said “But it’s not anything we haven’t seen before.”
The Owls play with an in-your-face defensive style that constantly denies their opponents a chance to score, Reed said.
“We just got to lock into the game plan,” Reed said. “And we’ll get it done if we do that.”
Only the top four of 22 teams will advance to the state finals and Citrus will need to consecutively win their next three games.
The game starts at 7 p.m. March 3 at Ventura College.
