McLean Scores 35 to Put Simi Valley Alone in First

This is more than a man-child playing with boys. Don MacLean is like a man among toys, maneuvering through them humorlessly, as if their presence is only slightly bothersome.

The junior center scored a career-high 35 points Wednesday night to lead Simi Valley High past Thousand Oaks, 77-60, in a game for first-place in the Marmonte League.

When has the word “junior” been so inappropriate to describe a student in his third year of high school? He is a Big Mac in a sack of regular burgers.

As a sophomore, MacLean led Simi Valley to a league title and to the Southern Section 4-A final. This year he wants it all.

The team is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 4-A and No. 1 in the Valley by The Times. The Pioneers (18-1, 6-0) are unbeaten in the continental United States, having lost only during a nonleague tournament in Hawaii.

“The motivation for me is to build momentum for the playoffs and win the CIF championship,” MacLean said.

Both teams had 5-0 league records entering the game, which made for a double dose of motivation for MacLean. He scored on 18-foot jumpers, length-of-the-floor layups, baseline turnarounds, offensive rebounds and on one particularly memorable one-handed flip from behind the backboard.

Thousand Oaks center Jon Walker, who at 6-8 is two inches shorter than MacLean, was baffled, bewildered and, finally, bloodied after MacLean fouled him in the face in the fourth quarter. Walker’s braces stuck to the inside of his mouth on the play and MacLean had a row of red marks on his forearm.

MacLean broke into his first smile of the evening as he trotted to the bench, dangling the arm. In addition to the brace marks, he had an ugly baseball-sized knot on his right elbow.

“Aw, that’s not painful,” Simi Valley Coach Bob Hawking said. “It’s called a bursa and the swelling will go down by tomorrow. I’ve seen it before. Don just burst a bursa.”

Said Walker: “We’ve been hot but MacLean is a great player. I’ve played against a lot of great players and he’s right up there.”

Junior Kevin Martin had been playing especially well in league games for Thousand Oaks, giving the Lancers a 32-minute Martinizing to keep them clean in the loss column. Coupled with the solid inside play of seniors Walker, Robert McLaughlin, John Schlossman and Bruce Watson, Thousand Oaks (10-6, 5-1) went to Simi Valley with high hopes.

But the usually solid Walker made no baskets and three fouls in the first half and the Lancers made only 10 of 27 shots.

THOUSAND OAKS--Schlossman 5, McLaughlin 10, Walker 14, Martin 11, Watson 14, Tadlock 4, McKinnon 2.

SIMI VALLEY--DeLaittre 10, Sharts 2, MacLean 35, Bice 8, Hawking 10, Aurand 4, Murphy 6, Jones 2.