BOYS' BASKETBALL: POPPEN SPARKS THOUSAND OAKS WIN CLINCHES MARMONTE TITLE THOUSAND OAKS 55, SIMI VALLEY 45.

Byline: SEAN CEGLINSKY Special to the Daily News

Seemingly every time the Simi Valley boys' basketball team attempted to rally from a double-digit deficit during Wednesday's showdown with Thousand Oaks, the Pioneers ran into difficulty.

And that difficulty was in the form of Lancers forward Jake Poppen.

The 6-foot-4 senior hustled on both ends of the floor from the beginning to end, finishing with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead the host Lancers to a 55-45 victory as Thousand Oaks clinched the Marmonte League title.

``Once the ball was tipped, instincts just took over,'' Poppen said. ``Things were coming to me easily tonight.''

That was apparent from the outset, as Poppen scored seven points in the first quarter, highlighted by a breakaway two-handed dunk that electrified the home crowd and gave the Lancers (22-3, 11-2) a 14-8 heading into the second quarter.

Simi Valley (18-7, 9-4) cut the deficit to two points after a Michael Meza layup with 6:06 left in the second quarter, but the Pioneers struggled offensively from that point, failing to score over the next 5:45.

Alex Kane was largely responsible for Simi Valley's struggles. The 6-6 senior came off the bench and blocked three shots, which led to easy baskets on the other end for the Lancers, who went into halftime with a 25-17 lead.

Poppen took over in the second half, scoring the first five points of the third quarter and six in a row over a two-minute stretch to give Thousand Oaks a 41-30 lead with eight minutes remaining.

``Jake has been there for us all year, so it's not surprising that he came out and carried us,'' Thousand Oaks senior guard Bobby Macias said. ``When he's feeling it, when he's on, we're tough to beat.''

Lorne Jackson kept Simi Valley somewhat close throughout the second half, as junior point guard scored 15 of his 16 points in the final two quarters. His 3-pointer with 2:13 left moved the Pioneers to within seven points.

But Poppen answered with short jumper and then found Kane underneath for a layup to extend Thousand Oaks' lead to 51-40 with 1:16 left.

Brandon Simon appeared to be wide open for a 3-pointer on Simi Valley's next possession, but Poppen came out of nowhere to block the shot, sending the ball into the front row of the stands to put an exclamation point on the victory.

``Jake was unbelievable tonight,'' Thousand Oaks coach Rich Endres said.

Macias had 17 points and Kane finished with four blocks.

Meza had 18 points for Simi Valley.

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