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Pioneer boys’ basketball team takes down Valencia; hits the road tonight
Against Valencia, Simi Valley won, 53-43, after having built its lead to 20 points, 48-28, early in the fourth quarter. “In Mark Keppel, we know they’re small and quick and probably going to play a game like we had to play (Wednesday) in the fourth quarter,” SVHS head coach Christian Aurand said. “So it’s not going to be long before we get tested in the same way. In that fourth quarter, we’re going to just have to be a lot better.” Senior forward Bryan Randolph led the Pioneers with 13 points, senior center Collin Franklin scored 10 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and had two blocks, and sophomore guard Lorne Jackson added 10 points. Senior guard/forward Ray Magee led Valencia with 16 points. Franklin led Simi Valley in rebounds and had another doubledouble. “He’s continued to play well,” Aurand said. At halftime the Simi Valley coaches told their players not to give the Tigers any hope of a comeback in the second half. “To (Valencia’s) credit, they kept battling and trapping,” Aurand said. “We threw the ball away too much and let them back in the game. When you get on one of those rolls, it’s kind of like a slippery slope.” The Pioneers got off to a 6-0 first-quarter start and weren’t scored on until 5:30 remained in the opening quarter. But with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter, the Tigers went ahead, 7-6. As the quarter ended, Simi Valley had the edge, 11-7. Valencia crept up early in the second quarter and knotted the score at 14 with 5:05 on the clock. But the Pioneers went ahead 1514 and were never again on the short-end of the score. By the halftime intermission, the Pioneers were up 31-20. Simi Valley scored only nine points during the third quarter— to the Tigers four—as the home team took a 40-24 lead. “We did enough for the win and we’re pleased about that,” Aurand said. “We’re not pleased about how we finished it off, and we’ve got to get better there and make better decisions. “We were sloppy,” the coach said. “We were fortunate that we were able to do enough to get the win and we’re going to have to correct that if we think we can go on the road and win.” With the victory, the Pioneers will take a team record of 16-11 into tonight’s game. Simi Valley was 9-5 in the Marmonte League. Valencia finished the season with an overall record of 18-9 after an Empire League record of 6-4. Aurand was pleased with Bell’s performance against the Tigers. “Bell did a great job defensively on Magee,” Aurand said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. (Bell and Magee are) two outstanding football players and we needed Lorne to go in there and stop that kid, and he did a great job. “(Magee) only scored six points in the first half and he got some buckets late and some free throws, but Lorne did a great job shutting him down and giving us a chance to win.” Simi Valley has advanced to four championship games and made four semifinal appearances during the last eight years. That includes the 2003-04 team that— after taking third place in league play—won three consecutive playoff games before losing in the semifinals to the Marina Vikings, 47-43. Playing Keppel, the Pioneers will face a team that was 19-7 overall this season. Simi Valley will encounter a team that includes a strong pair of senior guards, Jonathan Chu, who scored 537 points, including 110 points on 3-pointers, and Henry Hoang, 299 points. Going into the playoffs, Franklin was averaging 13.2 points per game (331 points total) and had a 6.7 average per game for a 167 total in rebounds along with an average 2.1 blocks (53 total) in 25 games. Jackson averaged 11.6 points (290 points total) and had a 2.9 average in assists and steals, garnering 73 of each in 25 games. Randolph grabbed 158 rebounds in 26 games. Bell averaged 3.3 assists per game during the regular season. Junior guard Brandon Simon had 42 3-point field goals, a 1.6 average per game, and a 2.5 average in assists with 65 in 26 games. Senior guard Tony Meza had 26 3-point field goals in 26 games. Meanwhile, Aurand said he expected Simi Valley to make the most of the practice time yesterday as it prepared for Keppel.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to work on those things, go on the road Friday and play better,” he said. |
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