Boys’ basketball: Simi Valley overcomes sluggish start to lead at half

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Well, I sure didn’t expect to see Simi Valley come out flat at home against Thousand Oaks, but low and behold, the Pioneers did. They’ve committed numerous turnovers, missed several shots from the perimeter -- the chants of airball have been frequent -- and are trailing, 17-10, at the end of the first eight minutes of play.

To their credit, the Lancers have been sharp, particularly point guard Michael Shelton, who’s been able to break the Pioneers’ press with relative ease. His counterpart, Lorne Jackson, didn’t score for the first six minutes and finished with three points in the quarter. The senior came alive before halftime though.

Jackson converted a layup to give Simi Valley its first lead of the game, 24-23, with 1:59 left in the second quarter. Next time down the floor, he drained a three-pointer. Teammate Paul Williams added seven points in five-plus minutes to give the Pioneers a 29-27 at the half.

--Sean Ceglinsky