Determined Simi Valley Takes Walk in the Park

The road to a Southern Section Division I-A basketball championship goes through Orange County, and Simi Valley High has begun its march toward an inevitable showdown with top-seeded Mater Dei.

Villa Park became the first of the Orange County powers to fall to the Pioneers, losing, 66-51, Friday night in a quarterfinal game at Royal.

It was men playing against boys. Villa Park (26-3) had two freshmen and no seniors in its starting lineup. Simi Valley (27-2) countered with seniors Brett Michel and Branduinn Fullove, who have led the Pioneers to 103 victories as four-year starters.

All the weeks of turmoil and supposed family feuds involving the Pioneers have been transformed into a lovefest. There was so much unselfishness that at one point, the Pioneers passed the ball too much and turned it over. But nobody was complaining, because the way Simi Valley is playing means trouble for any opponent.

“As long as we stay as a team, we’re unstoppable,” said 6-foot-9 junior center Dustin Villepigue, who contributed one of his best performances of the season in scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Michel scored 19 points, making four three-pointers, and turned in an unforgettable defensive performance guarding Villa Park’s leading scorer, Matt MacGinnis. MacGinnis was held scoreless until making two free throws with 4:36 to play. By then, Simi Valley’s lead was 17 points. Game over.

“Brett did a great job,” Coach Christian Aurand of Simi Valley said. “We challenged him. He was playing against one of the best shooters around.”

Fullove scored 16 points and did what he always does best--hustle, play defense, handle the ball and display the kind of toughness that rubs off on his teammates.

Tony Bryant led Villa Park with 17 points, but the Spartans were never really in the game. They fell behind by 11 points early in the second quarter, switched to a zone defense and closed to 23-20. But that’s when Michel connected on a pair of three-point baseline shots to help Simi Valley lead at halftime, 31-21. The Spartans never got closer than seven points in the second half.

“They do a great job passing the ball,” Coach Kevin Reynolds of Villa Park said. “Hopefully, next year, that will be us.”

Villa Park had good size, with 6-9 freshman Sean Phaler and 6-8 junior Kyle Egkan, but it was the Pioneers repeatedly finding Villepigue open inside for high-percentage shots. He made 11 of 14 shots and only two of his baskets were beyond three feet. He excited the crowd with a one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter that put an exclamation point on an almost perfect night for the Pioneers.

“The big fellow came to play,” Aurand said. “For him to step up with the type of size they had was impressive.”

Added Villepigue: “There was a weakness in their defense and we found it tonight.”

One of the most intriguing scenes for the Pioneers came in the third quarter when Fullove passed to a wide-open Michel under the basket for a layup. Fullove exhorted the crowd, waving his arms. Michel rushed in to give him a high-five. They acted like best friends. Whatever happened in the past, at least for now, everybody is united.

“That’s the key to our success--play hard and play unselfish,” Michel said.

Mission impossible has become mission possible for the Pioneers.