Simi Valley Girls Back Into Rematch With Gahr in 32-Team Basketball Tournament

Although each girls basketball team took a back-door route in a 32-team tournament in Orange County, Simi Valley High and Gahr moved into a rematch of last season’s Southern Section 4-A playoff game.

Both teams Saturday in the second round of the tournament, sponsored by Savanna and Loara high schools. Simi Valley dropped a 44-38 decision to Mater Dei, and Gahr lost to Foothill, 28-25. The teams meet at 2 p.m. today at Savanna High. Gahr defeated Simi Valley last season in the second round of the playoffs, 59-50.

Pioneer Coach Dave Murphy sounded pessimistic about today’s game based on his team’s performance Saturday. “Mater Dei will be a top 10 team next season, but we had every opportunity to win the game and didn’t. We played poorly and are in a real slump. We’ve been playing a lot of games and we’re in a rut.”

Simi Valley’s front line accounted for 30 of the team’s 38 points. Paula Cooper scored 11, Julie Arlotto 10 and Leigh Wilcox 9.