Simi Valley Breaks Thousand Oaks’ Spell, 56-33

Don MacLean scored 16 points in the second half Wednesday night to lead Simi Valley High to a 56-33 victory over Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League basketball game.

Thousand Oaks led, 23-21, at halftime after frustrating the Pioneers with a slow-down offense.

Simi Valley was able to take the lead, 29-25, early in the third quarter by outscoring Thousand Oaks, 8-2.

The Pioneers never trailed after that, limiting the Lancers to 10 points in the second half.

MacLean’s 22 points and 10 rebounds led both teams, but it looked at first like Lancers forward Tom Neumayr would single-handedly upset the Pioneers.

Neumayr scored Thousand Oaks’ first 11 points. When the Lancers led, 17-12, with 6:12 left in the first half, Neumayr had 14 points.

“I felt hot in the first half,” Neumayr said. “I really wanted the ball.”

It didn’t take Simi Valley Coach Bob Hawking long to make a defensive adjustment on the 6-3 Neumayr, who averages 18.2 points a game.

Senior Todd Johnson drew the man-to-man assignment and kept Neumayr from taking a shot for the next 17 minutes.

“We kept the ball out of his hands pretty well,” Hawking said. “I give Todd Johnson a lot of that credit.”

Neumayr managed only one more shot the rest of the game, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting.

“I didn’t get a chance to shoot the ball, because I couldn’t get the ball in my hands,” Neumayr said.

Neumayr, a senior, was being scouted during the game by Pete Cassidy, basketball coach at Cal State Northridge.

For Simi Valley, sophomore Shawn DeLaittre scored 13 points.

Simi Valley was 14 of 17 from the field in the second half after connecting on only 7 of 21 in the first.

“We weren’t making the effort to get MacLean or DeLaittre the ball,” Hawking said. “We just couldn’t get into the offensive attack we wanted to run.”

Simi Valley is 22-2 overall, 10-1 in league. Thousand Oaks is 10-12, 6-5.

THOUSAND OAKS--Neumayr 16; Walker 7; Doolittle 6; Lackey 2; Holt 2.

SIMI VALLEY--MacLean 22 and 10 rebounds; DeLaittre 13; Jenner 5; Bice 4; Johnson 4; Hankins 4; Gates 4.