Moorpark Hits Bump on Road

OJAI —  Two banners hung by Nordhoff High cheerleaders welcomed the Moorpark girls’ basketball team to the Rangers’ gym.

But the hospitality ended there as Nordhoff upset Moorpark, 59-50, in a Frontier League game Tuesday night at Nordhoff High.

The Rangers (15-3, 4-0 in league play) moved past the defending champion Musketeers (15-2, 3-1) into first place by taking a lead in the first quarter, regaining it in the third and hanging on in the fourth.

Nordhoff, second-ranked in Southern Section Division III-A, played much of the game without 6-foot-4 center Christen Roper, who picked up three fouls in the second quarter, her fourth early in the third and fouled out with 2:04 left.

Picking up the slack for Nordhoff, which made it to the III-A final last season and suffered its only two league losses to Moorpark, was junior forward Erin Barker.

Barker scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Rangers also got 14 points from Nell Becker. Roper had eight points and five rebounds.

With Barker scoring nine of her points in the third quarter, Nordhoff rallied from a 33-29 halftime deficit. The Rangers built their biggest lead, 47-36, in the third quarter.

Nordhoff did not score in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter and Moorpark closed to within 53-49 with 1:30 to go.

The Rangers made six of eight free throws in the last 58 seconds, including five of six by Barker.

Moorpark built a 31-22 advantage in the second quarter behind Damaris Hinojosa, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out with 2:36 left, and Tracey Milburn, who added 19 points and 12 rebounds.