Moorpark Wins Game but Loses a Quarter

Making two of 10 shots, committing four turnovers and going zero for 10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter is usually not the way to win a close basketball game.

But Moorpark High did exactly that in a 41-39 victory over Simi Valley in a Marmonte League girls’ basketball game Wednesday night at Moorpark.

The Musketeers (18-1, 7-0 in league play), the No. 3-ranked team in the region by The Times, took a 41-36 lead with 2:16 left on a drive by Damaris Hinojosa.

But they didn’t score again.

Simi Valley (16-5, 5-2) got to within 41-38 on a jump shot by Teresa Cooper with 1:26 to play.

Jamie Sturdivant of Simi Valley was fouled on a three-point shot with five seconds left but made only one of three.

“We have not yet played our first good game in league,” said Hinojosa, who scored 16 points. “There are five more teams [in league] that are going to play us tough because we didn’t put them away in the first round.”