Agoura Ends Simi Valley’s Streak at 27

Joe Riccio, Agoura High’s first-year boys’ basketball coach, might have been the least surprised by the Chargers’ 64-54 victory over visiting Simi Valley on Monday night.

“I told the players before the game that Simi was going down,” Riccio said. “I told them we had the press, the players and the ability to beat them.”

Agoura fulfilled their coach’s prophecy, taking sole possession of first place in the Marmonte League. Not bad for a team that was 4-21, including 2-10 in league play, last season.

Simi Valley, the two-time defending league champion, had won 27 consecutive league games dating to the 1997-98 season.

But Agoura, which never trailed, wore down the Pioneers, who committed 17 turnovers.

Simi Valley (13-4, 2-1 in league play) cut a 12-point deficit to 55-49 with 3:27 to play. But Agoura (13-2, 2-0) outscored the Pioneers, 9-5, after calling a timeout with 3:13 to play.

“I think we just needed to show that we weren’t going to lay down in this league,” said Agoura center Adam Allegro. “We wanted to show that we weren’t a fluke and I think we did that. We beat [Thousand Oaks] and we beat Simi, and they’re the two top teams in the league.”

Allegro scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Junior forward Kevin Cornwell led Agoura with 17 points and guard Johnny Gray added 16.

For Simi Valley, Dustin Villepigue had 19 points and 15 reboudns and Ryan Bradshaw scored 18 points, including six three-point baskets. But the rest of the Pioneers combined to score only 17 points.

Agoura made only 23 of 61 shots from the field, but the Chargers were eight of 13 from three-point range. Simi Valley made 21 of 55 shots.