Boys’ basketball: The Ventura County rewind

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The battle for first place was waged in several Ventura County leagues over the weekend, yielding some unexpected results, particularly in one key game I made a prediction on. So, without further delay, here’s a quick recap of some of the more interesting developments that happened in and around the 805:

Off the mark: Suppose we should first talk about my no-brainer pick, Santa Clara. Thought the Saints were a sure-fire winner, a team prepared to make a statement and begin its march to the Tri-Valley League title. Didn’t happen. Oak Park pulled off the upset, 48-45, on Friday and trails Santa Clara by a game in the standings.

Slide continues: Remember way back when, in the beginning of the season, back when Santa Barbara was ranked in The Times’ top 25. Seems like a distant memory nowadays, especially after Friday’s 63-57 loss to Ventura, a setback that dropped the Dons into second-to-last place in the Channel League. Funny how things work out sometimes.

Same old, same old: Figured Simi Valley would defeat Royal on Friday but the Pioneers crushed their crosstown rivals, 80-40, to maintain a one-game lead in the Marmonte League race. Second-place Thousand Oaks took care of business, defeating Newbury Park, 49-45. The Lancers and Simi Valley appear to be heading toward a showdown Feb.6 in game with the league title likely at stake.

-- Sean Ceglinsky