Simi Valley Routs Antelope Valley to Coast Into Tournament Semifinal

Perhaps the only way Simi Valley High can lose its own basketball tournament is if its gym collapses. The Pioneers are well on their way to winning this tournament for the second straight year.

After beating Antelope Valley, 83-48, Wednesday night in the quarterfinals, and after a similar mugging of Dos Pueblos in the first round Monday night, the only question left may be: What would have happened if there were a Fairfax or a Crenshaw, or a Mater Dei in this thing?

The Pioneers will never know. What they do know is that they’ll play Saugus Friday night at 8 p.m. in the semifinals. Saugus ousted Hart earlier on Wednesday.

The Pioneers have seen what may be a recurring game plan by its opponents: Have everybody on the floor guard 6-10 junior center Don MacLean.

Simi Valley can live with that, especially when Travis Bice scores 21 points from the outside, as he did against Antelope Valley. Bice, a 6-4 senior, is a fine complement to MacLean and 6-5 junior Shawn DeLaittre, who scored 16 points.

Even with the excess company, MacLean scored 18 points. Coach Bob Hawking took him out of the game with about seven minutes left after referee Rick Scott gave him a technical foul for “kicking” an Antelope Valley player.

With MacLean on the bench, DeLaittre scored nine points and Butch Hawking and Mike Branch each scored four as the Pioneers coasted to the win.

Simi Valley, ranked No. 2 in The Times Valley poll, is 2-0. Antelope Valley is 0-1.

Other winners’ bracket games:

Saugus 77, Hart 61--The Centurions stayed alive in the tournament, getting a game-high 29 points from Rusty Morse.

Morse, a 6-4 senior, and classmate John Thomas were too much for the Indians. Thomas scored 18 points. Greg Weber added 11 points for Saugus and Darren Newberry had seven for Saugus (1-0).

For Hart, Eric Arnold had a team-high 17 points and Steve Valenzuela had 12. Mike Michelson added 10 for the Indians, who are 1-1.

Alemany 56, Notre Dame 30--If anything, the game between the Indians and the Knights gave a sneak preview of how things may shape up in the Del Rey League this season.

And things are shaping up for Alemany, which easily beat the Knights. With Crespi fielding perhaps its smallest and most inexperienced team in 10 years, Alemany looks to be the odds-on favorite to win the Del Rey title.

Alemany showed a more balanced offense--all but one starter scored in double figures. The Indians, who led by seven after the first quarter and by 12 after the second, were led by senior Dave Swanson, who scored 17 points, and senior Bill Lucid, who had 15.

Notre Dame was led by Kurt Schmiederer, who had 12 points.

Glendale 58, Birmingham 55--Alex Berry scored 15 points and Mike McDowell had 13 as the Dynamiters edged out Birmingham in a quarterfinal game.

The Braves were led by 6-4 senior Ennerea Maxwell, who scored a game-high 16 points, and by junior Jason Moore, who had 11.

Glendnale will play Alemany in a semifinal game Friday at 6:30 p.m.

NOTRE DAME--Oppenhiemer 4; Hiecke 4; Escala 2; Schmiederer 12; Antoon 4; Hicks 4.

ALEMANY--Thomas 11; Dear 10; Berganio 7; Swanson 15; Lucid 13.

GLENDALE--Sofro 12; Berry 15; McDowell 13; McHale 10; Vanegas 4; Banquerio 4.

BIRMINGHAM--Zuckerman 4; Maxwell 16; Owens 10; Cunningham 2; Johnson 7; Buford 4; Moore 11; Mathis 1.

HART--Valenzuela 12; Michelson 10; Ewing 4; Allen 4; Hinman 8; Arnold 17; Marzinzik 6.

SAUGUS--Thomas 18; Morse 29; Bilik 1; Weber 11; Dorst 2; Clarke 3; Newberry 7; Stapp 2; Dugan 2; Legaux 2.

ANTELOPE VALLEY--Wilson 6; Johnson 7; Mahaffey 11; Betton 18; Richards 2; Harrison 4.

SIMI VALLEY--MacLean 18; Hawking 12; Bice 21; DeLaittre 16; Sharts 6; Murphy 2; Studer 2; Estrella 2; Branch 4.