LEADER—Wednesday’s hero, Pioneer senior guard Lorne Jackson, drives past Calabasas forward Shane Foster during game at Simi Valley High School. Next up for the team is a trip to San Diego for the Torrey Pines National Prep Classic. MICHAEL COONS Acorn Newspapers Even though Christmas is still three days away, basketball fans in Simi Valley received a real gift when they had the chance to watch a key early season Marmonte League match-up between the Pioneers and the Coyotes.

With the score locked at 60 with 12 seconds left in regulation, Simi Valley junior Lorne Jackson hit a jump shot from the top of the free throw line to put the Pioneers up by two.

Simi Valley (8-2) wrapped up the win 62-60 when Calabasas’ senior forward Shane Foster narrowly missed a 3-point attempt to win the game as time expired.

As is so often the case, the winning shot came on an undesigned play, Jackson said.

“The play drawn up was originally for me to drive to the hole and then possibly kick it back out for a shot,” Jackson said. “I actually thought I missed it when I put up the shot.”

But he didn’t, and the Pioneers earned a big win heading into the winter break.

“This game ranks right up there as one of the best for me,” Jackson said. “It was only the third time I’ve hit a gamewinning shot.”

Jackson finished with 19 points; 15 of them coming in the second half.

Simi Valley head coach Christian Aurand said he believes that if Jackson plays the way he did against the Coyotes, Simi Valley is in for a good season.

“If the ball is in his hands there is always a chance for good things to happen,” Aurand said. “If it’s crunch time he is a good person to have the ball. He is very good at creating opportunities for us.”

Though most teams in the Marmonte League don’t begin league play until early next year, the game offered a sneak peek at the probable future.

“The league is always like this,” Aurand said. “It is very competitive and the neat thing is that anyone can win on any given night. You can beat a team one game and then they can come back the next time and beat you. Obviously it’s good to be on the winning side like tonight.”

Other players that should help contribute to the Pioneers this season are seniors Brandon Simon and Tyler Ostrovsky as well as juniors Michael Meza and Spencer Feist. Simon registered 13 points against Calabasas while Meza showed that he will be an inside force by scoring 17 points, the majority of them coming in the paint.

The team now travels to San Diego for the 58-team Torrey Pines National Prep Classic, where it will face off against toptier teams from eight different states. Included in the grouping are California powers Compton Centennial, Clovis West, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and Dominguez (Compton).

“I think it will be nice to travel and it will be good for the guys to live with each other for a little while, build some team camaraderie,” Aurand said. “This season is young but the group is already a fun one to hang out with.

“We are a young team this year and also not that big in size. However, all we have to do is compete like we did tonight. If we do that we are going to be in every game and hopefully come out on the winning side.”

Simi Valley plays in the Torrey Pines National Prep Classic Dec. 26 to 29.