Moorpark Rolls Past Canyons in 87-72 Upset

Only two games into the Western State Conference schedule, Moorpark College Coach Al Nordquist is beginning to look like a prophet.

For weeks, he has been telling anyone who would listen that no team has a lock on the conference title.

True enough. On Thursday night, unranked Moorpark upset Canyons, 87-72. It was the Raiders’ first conference win.

Canyons went into the game ranked No. 15 in Southern California by the JC Athletic Bureau and had beaten Moorpark, 64-60, in the Cuesta Tournament earlier this season.

“Like I’ve been saying,” Nordquist said, “every week is going to be a different story in this conference. Any given night, any given game, any team can win.”

The win was Moorpark’s first over Canyons in more than a year. The road ahead won’t get any easier for Canyons (11-9 overall, 0-2 in conference), which will play host to Glendale, ranked No. 4 in the state, Saturday.

Moorpark, which stumbled against Glendale in its conference opener, had no such problem Thursday. The Raiders set the early tempo and outscored Canyons, 12-0, over the first eight minutes.

Moorpark (11-6, 1-1) never trailed, and until a Canyons surge late in the first half, the Raiders led by more than 10 points for most of the half. At halftime, Moorpark led, 42-31.

“They played very hard on defense,” Canyons Coach Lee Smelser said. “They took away a lot of the things we like to do. But we figured when they took away the inside, we would have other things to throw them off. I wouldn’t say their defense is awesome, but then again, what do you say when you just got your fannies kicked by 15 points?”

You don’t say much, really. You go home, regroup and hope next time you play Moorpark you can deal with the defense and stop shooters Tom Neumayr and Andy Jercha. Both are new to the Moorpark program--Jercha from Pierce and Neumayr from Thousand Oaks High--and both consistently score in double figures.

Neumayr made 9 of 10 shots and scored 18 points, including an unanswered six-point spree early in the second half. Jercha, a 6-5 outside shooter, scored 22 points, mostly inside against Canyons’ Mitch McMullen (6-10) and Anthony Hines (6-8).

Of Neumayr Nordquist said: “What can I say? He didn’t miss a shot in the first half. You have to like that.”

In contrast, Canyons’ Kevin Honaker, the team’s leading scorer and rated fourth in the WSC with a 16.5 average, was held scoreless.

CANYONS--Hines 14, Stapp 13, McMullen 22, Moloznik 1, Mettinger 10, Linzy 6, Lehman 4, Dickson 2.

MOORPARK--Moncure 10, Adams 12, Jercha 22, Pugh 13, Inemer 6, Bussey 2, Staples 4, Neumayr 18.