Simi Valley Has a Surprise for Thousand Oaks

SIMI VALLEY — The former top dog still has some bite behind its bark.

Simi Valley High proved that Wednesday night with a rousing 73-65 victory over Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League boys’ basketball game.

Thousand Oaks, the No. 2-ranked team in the region by The Times, could have wrapped up a share of its first league title since 1994 with its 11th consecutive victory.

But fourth-place and two-time defending league champion Simi Valley outplayed and out-hustled the Lancers (19-5, 9-2 in league play) in every facet.

“We wanted to show people that we’re still a team to be reckoned with,” said center Dustin Villepigue after scoring a career-high 41 points for Simi Valley.

“We just wanted to come out and give it everything we had. . . . Our attitude was we had to leave it all on the floor or we were going to lose because Thousand Oaks is a great team.”

Simi Valley (17-8, 6-5) lost to Westlake and Newbury Park in its two previous games, but Pioneer players were diving on the court in pursuit of loose balls from the opening tip-off.

In contrast, Thousand Oaks seemed lethargic until the second half and now finds itself in a first-place tie with Agoura entering Friday’s regular-season finale at Newbury Park.

“We were so non-intense it was unbelievable,” said Kyle Kegley of Thousand Oaks.

“We just came out flat at the start of the game. . . . If we had come out in the first half the way we came out in the second, it might have been a different outcome. But we didn’t.”

Simi Valley had a 34-32 lead at halftime after making 15 of 25 shots (60%), and the Pioneers hit six of their first eight shots in the third quarter to take a 49-39 lead on a basket by Villepigue with 2:27 left.

But Jered Weaver, Simi Valley’s second-leading scorer this season, left the game 30 seconds earlier with a deep gash in his chin after hitting the floor following a foul by Ben Olson.

Weaver, who had nine points and four assists, left the gymnasium before the game was over to get his chin examined at a hospital, but Simi Valley hung tough without him.

Thousand Oaks cut its deficit to 51-46 at the end of the third quarter and pulled to within 59-58 with 3:56 left in the game on a three-pointer by Kegley, who had 24 points. But Villepigue, who made 16 of 20 shots and nine of 13 free throws, scored the next four points on a layup and two free throws to give Simi Valley a 63-58 lead with 2:52 remaining.

Kegley, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, made two free throws with 2:35 left but Simi Valley scored on five of its final six possessions.

Ryan Bradshaw scored 10 points for Simi Valley and Kevin Rex had 11 points for Thousand Oaks.