1 More Rung, 1 More Ring : Muir Is Simi’s Last Obstacle on Unlikely Climb to Top

At the start of the Southern Section basketball playoffs, Simi Valley High Coach Bob Hawking put five plastic rings on his left hand.

The rings were to be removed one at a time after each Pioneer win in the postseason.

Four of the rings are gone now. And sometime Saturday night, Hawking just might take off that final plastic ring and prepare himself for a real ring--one that signifies a Southern Section 4-A Division championship.

A victory Saturday at the Sports Arena over Muir, a 58-56 winner Wednesday night over Dominquez, is all that the Pioneers need. Game time is 7 p.m.

“We developed a little saying,” Hawking said. “Go for the gold.”

The Pioneers, fresh off their 97-69 upset of top-seeded Capistrano Valley in the semifinals Tuesday, are nearing the end of the Golden Years, Part I.

The Golden Years--otherwise known as the era of Don MacLean and Shawn DeLaittre--promised greatness for the Pioneers. The two sophomores were expected immediately to make Simi Valley one of the top teams in the area.

Hardly anyone expected Simi Valley to be a serious contender for the 4-A title, though. At least, not this year.

But Hawking and his team never felt that way. A confident group, you say? Before the playoffs began, each member of the team had his ring finger measured.

Hawking isn’t afraid his team will suffer a letdown Saturday.

“This team has not reached its goal yet,” Hawking said. “Any time you get to the finals of anything, it’s a tremendous accomplishment. But we’re still one step away from the ultimate.”

Before this season, Simi Valley had not won a playoff game in 20 years. The Pioneers opened the postseason with a 67-56 victory over Glendale, last season’s 4-A champion. The Pioneers then beat Santa Ana, 63-53, in the second round, before defeating Rolling Hills, 67-59.

Capistrano Valley, a team making its fourth appearance in the semifinals in five years, was supposed to bring the Pioneers back to reality.

“Everybody, sportswriters, people at school, they were all saying we’d get beat by anywhere from 10 to 30 points,” Hawking said.

The players watched Capistrano Valley on videotape before the game.

“And on the tape they looked beatable,” DeLaittre said.

After falling behind, 7-0, in the first minute, Simi Valley completely dominated a team that had lost previously only to Mater Dei and Santa Monica.

“They played the perfect game,” Capistrano Valley Coach Mark Thornton said.

The Cougars had the edge in experience, with five seniors starting. Three have already signed with Division I schools, while another hasn’t decided yet which school to attend.

“We thought our experience would win the game for us,” Thornton said. “But nothing went right.”

Thornton gave most of the credit to Simi Valley, which easily handled the Cougars’ press. That press had forced an average of 25 turnovers a game in the playoffs.

“That extended pressure had made many people wilt,” Hawking said.

But not the Pioneers.

Within the first minute Tuesday, Simi Valley had turned the ball over three times. During the game, Simi Valley committed 17 turnovers, but only three came off the Cougars’ press.

Simi Valley shot 60%, and buried Capistrano Valley at the free-throw line, making 35 of 43. MacLean, who tied DeLaittre as top scorer with 30 points, was 12 of 12 from the line.

“We’re shooting 70% as a team,” Hawking said, “but the nucleus of the guys who play the most are shooting 80%. We know games are won and lost at the line, and we’re prepared to win at the line.”

Capistrano Valley had a front line of 6-9 John Waikle, 6-7 Jason Trask and 6-4 Shawn Reed.

But MacLean, at 6-8, had few problems against the Cougars’ post players. He scored from the inside. He hit jumpers from the outside. He controlled the boards, finishing with 14 rebounds.

“We took them out of their inside game,” MacLean said. “We didn’t let them get many second shots.”

Trask had 12 points, while Waikle had 11. Both had scored 22 points in their previous playoff game. Reed led Capistrano Valley with 19.

After its slow start, Simi Valley led by three at the quarter, 17 at the half, and 22 after three quarters.

MacLean said he wasn’t worried when the Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead. “I knew we’d come back,” he said. “I knew they weren’t going to beat us that bad.”

Instead, it was the Cougars who got beat that bad.