Thousand Oaks Takes Over First

When a player is fouled with the game on the line, the opposing coach usually calls a timeout before the free throws are attempted.

You know, make him sweat. Sit down and think about it for a while, pal.

With his team leading by a point with eight seconds left in Wednesday night’s game at Thousand Oaks High, Camarillo Coach John Harbour called time after Thousand Oaks center Jon Walker was fouled.

Little did Harbour know that Walker liked having time to think about his shots. The 6-8 center collected his thoughts, then made both shots to give Thousand Oaks a 39-38 win and sole possession of second place in the Marmonte League.

“I’d rather think about the shots,” Walker said. “It’s happened before. It seems like coaches think it breaks my concentration, but it really helps me to relax.”

The free throws capped an extraordinary comeback by the Lancers. They trailed, 25-19, after three quarters, but scored 20 points in the final period. With 1:50 left in the game, Camarillo led, 37-29.

“We do this all the time at Thousand Oaks,” Lancer Coach Ed Chevalier said with a wry smile. “We knew Tom Neumayr would be covered. When he cut, their whole zone went with him. Jon stepped into the vacancy and was fouled when he got the ball.”

Neumayr, a guard, the Lancers’ quiet quarterback, scored only two points in the first three quarters, but he made four field goals in the fourth. Neumayr, who is averaging 19 points a game, grabbed a rebound and drove the length of the court for a layup with 1:31 left to cut Camarillo’s lead to 37-35.

Ken Doolittle hit a 17-footer, his only basket of the game, on the Lancers’ next possession to tie the score.

Camarillo’s Jimmy Johnson made the first of two free throws seconds later to put the Scorpions up by one.

After Walker’s free throws, Camarillo’s Mitch Parrott flew the length of the floor with the ball, but his 10-footer from the baseline hit the side of the backboard at the buzzer.

Parrott, who averages 24 points a game, had 22. Thousand Oaks forward Robert McLaughlin shadowed the 6-4 center much of the game.

Camarillo is 4-4 in league, 12-8 overall. Thousand Oaks is 5-3, 9-10.