Canyon Comes Out of Dark and Lights Up Simi Valley

For a team still recovering from a double dose of shock, Canyon High looked sharp in Tuesday night’s Southern Section Division I-AA playoff game against Simi Valley.

Canyon beat the Pioneers, 92-78, in a first-round game that was moved to Master’s College because of a lighting problem in Canyon’s gym.

Canyon Coach Greg Hayes also said the Cowboys were deeply affected by Friday night’s Foothill League defeat to league champion Hart. The conference finale snapped a six-game winning streak and cost the Cowboys a share of the league title.

“Then we were just shocked on Sunday when we found out we had to play Simi in the first round,” Hayes said. “We’re still trying to get over that one.”

But when the Cowboys (20-6) hit the floor, they were over it. They outscored Simi Valley, 19-6, in the second quarter and held a 21-point lead at halftime.

During that span the Pioneers (18-8) missed a series of shots and committed numerous turnovers. They had a difficult time penetrating the lane and put up enough bricks from the perimeter to build a house.

“This is the kind of team that if we play our game we should beat,” said Simi Valley Coach Brian Saunders, who took over when Dean Bradshaw was suspended. “But they just push you and push you when they play their game.”

Simi Valley’s Jeremy Roberts opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers, but the comeback was short-lived. Canyon’s fast-paced offense overwhelmed the Pioneers repeatedly.

“I really thought we were going to come back and win,” Simi Valley’s R.J. Pierson said. “But we made key mistakes late in the game and they just kept going at it.’

Pierson scored a layup with 6:44 to play that brought the Pioneers to within nine points. That’s the closest they got after the opening minutes.

Canyon kept its running game alive until the end and sealed the game with solid free throw shooting. The Cowboys scored their last 16 points from the line.

Greg Minor had 27 points and Charles Woodard added 21 for Canyon. James Manning added 17 and forward Pat Backes had 12.

Nathan Simmons scored 24 points for Simi Valley. Jeremy Roberts had 15, Vernon Simmons added 14 and Pierson scored 13.