Mills Outguns MacLean as Fairfax Tops Simi Valley

High school basketball in the summer just isn’t the same as it is in the winter.

Summer-league games don’t feature one timeout after another in the final minute of a close game. Or cheerleaders dancing before bleachers full of frenzied fans. In short, the intensity just isn’t the same.

“We just want to give all of our players a chance to play and an opportunity to develop,” Simi Valley Coach Bob Hawking said.

Even in a game against Fairfax, last year’s City Section 4-A champion?

“Our approach isn’t going to be any different,” Hawking said before the two powerhouses squared off Tuesday at Culver City High. “This is summer league .”

But about the only things that wound up developing were the skills of Simi Valley’s Don MacLean and Fairfax’s Chris Mills. MacLean and Mills--two of the most highly recruited seniors in the nation--traded baskets for 40 minutes, while scouts, including coaches Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and Walt Hazzard of UCLA, looked on.

When it was over, Mills had out-gunned MacLean, scoring 41 points, as Fairfax came from behind to beat Simi Valley, 54-48.

MacLean finished with 25 points. No other players scored in double figures.

Was this more than just a summer league game to both players?

“There are some teams you want to play well against and Fairfax is one of them,” MacLean said. “There were a lot of people in the stands expecting a big matchup. Playing against a guy like Chris is good for me.”

Said Mills: “I expected a battle between me and him. I know his game and he knows mine.”

Simi Valley led most of the way after MacLean, who scored 13 points in the first half, connected on consecutive short jumpers to give the Pioneers an early 9-5 lead. Mills, scoring from inside and outside, countered with 15 points, but Fairfax trailed, 23-19, at halftime.

“We weren’t really playing as well as I thought we should have been at first,” Mills said.

In the second half, MacLean slowed a bit and Fairfax tied the game, 48-48, on a baseline jumper by Mills.

“I thought I played well in the first half,” MacLean said. “But in the second half I kind of ran out of gas. I’ve got to work on getting back into game shape.”

Mills eluded a tired MacLean and scored 12 points in the final five minutes to give Fairfax the win.