Thousand Oaks Starts Fast in Upset of Alemany Boys, 60-51

Thousand Oaks High Coach Ed Chevalier says his basketball team never looked better than it did Wednesday night in a 60-51 upset victory over Alemany.

“We had to play our best,” he said after a first-round win in the Thousand Oaks tournament. Well, that much you had to figure.

Alemany entered the game with a good reputation, a 5-1 record and a No. 3 ranking in the Times’ Valley poll.

But Thousand Oaks could have saved some of its effort considering the way Alemany played in this one.

Or was Thousand Oaks that good?

“I was certainly pleased,” Chevalier said. “Right off the top, we went out and played aggressively. That’s what did it.”

They did it by halftime, really.

Losing 15-10 after the first period, Thousand Oaks limited a cold-shooting Alemany team to just four points while scoring inside almost without a fight to lead 24-19 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Thousand Oaks methodically increased its lead to as many as 15 points before Alemany began a comeback--much too late.

In another first-round game Wednesday, Calabasas kept its cool against an aggressive full-court Gardena press and won, 81-65.

The Coyotes, who never trailed, dominated the first half, leading 44-31. But Gardena gradually decreased its deficit until late in the fourth period when Calabasas regained control of the game’s tempo by beating the press for easy baskets inside.

“I knew they were good,” Calabasas Coach Bill Bellatty said. “We beat their press early, and that gave the kids confidence.”

Calabasas, which made 35 of 44 free throws, was led by Steve Ward with 30 points. Cory Marschalk added 17 and John Drezner 13.