Valley Hit by Fallout in Defeat : College basketball: Santa Monica’s 87-83 victory knocks Monarchs out of South Division lead.

Riding the crest of a modest three-game winning streak, Valley College pulled into town Saturday night looking for sole possession of first place in the Western State Conference South Division.

The Monarchs and Santa Monica were each 3-0 in the division but now only the Corsairs occupy the top spot after an 87-83 basketball victory that was every bit as close as the score.

Neither team led by more than seven points and the lead changed hands several times.

Santa Monica (19-7), No. 16 in the state, surged to an 83-77 lead with 47 seconds left by scoring seven consecutive points.

The Monarchs (14-11) cut the deficit to 83-81 with 16 seconds to play on putback shots by Vernon Simmons and LaMarr Thompson but got no closer.

Freshman guard Mack Cleveland, who had 20 points, provided the bulk of the scoring punch in the second half for the Monarchs. He scored 11 points in the half, including two on a jump shot that tied the game, 70-70, with 5:13 left.

But Santa Monica countered with freshman forward Damon Ollie and guards Davy Fortson and John Mundy to preserve the lead it held most of the game.

Ollie, who leads Santa Monica with a 21.1-point average, had 18 points, nine in each half, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Fortson added 15 points.

The Corsairs got early inside scoring from Ollie, from North Hollywood High, who scored six of his team’s first 11 points. Fortson contributed seven points in the half.

Valley relied on Thompson to stay in the game in the first half. The left-handed freshman from Sylmar High gave the Monarchs their first lead, 25-24, on a turnaround baseline jumper with 5:13 left before halftime.

A jumper by Thompson, who had nine rebounds, put Valley ahead at halftime, 36-32.

Simmons, a freshman from Simi Valley High, grabbed eight rebounds and scored 14 points. Simmons went into the game averaging 10.9 rebounds.

Guard John Mundy, one of 12 freshmen on Santa Monica’s 15-man roster, had 15 points, and 6-foot-8 center Wendell Robinson had 14.

The Monarchs didn’t help themselves by committing 20 turnovers, including the two in the crucial final minutes.