BOYS' BASKETBALL: WARD, BELL ANSWER CALL FOR SIMI VALLEY : SIMI VALLEY 81 SAUGUS 61.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer Will he play? It was a question Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. High's Branduinn Fullove heard a hundred times over the last seven days. Or about the same number of times Pioneers coach Dean Bradshaw was asked if his team's suspect bench could absorb the loss of one of the top players in the area. The answers: No and yes. No, Fullove couldn't could·n't Contraction of could not. couldn't could not play Friday Friday: see Sabbath; week. Friday young Indian rescued by Crusoe and kept as servant and companion. [Br. Lit.: Robinson Crusoe] See : Servant in an 81-61 win over Saugus Saugus (sô`gəs), town (1990 pop. 25,549), Essex co., NE Mass., a suburb of Boston on the Saugus River near the Atlantic Ocean; settled before 1637, set off from Lynn and inc. 1815. Mainly residential, the town has some light manufacturing. to open the Southern Section Division 1-A playoffs. But yes, the Pioneers had enough in reserve to overcome his absence. Thanks to starters Rafael Rafael or Raffaello may refer to: People
named after Gaston Michel, a French surgeon (1875-1937). Michel clip metal skin sutures in various sizes from 8 to 16 mm long. Each clip is a 2 mm wide band of metal with a downturned sharp prong at each end. (20 points), and more importantly bench players Tony Ward (10 points) and Calvin Bell (six points, lots of hustle hus·tle v. hus·tled, hus·tling, hus·tles v.tr. 1. To jostle or shove roughly. 2. To convey in a hurried or rough manner: hustled the prisoner into a van. ), Simi Valley didn't suffer.``We had some guys that really stepped up and played well,'' Bradshaw said. ``We weren't as sharp as we've been, but you can't blame that on (the reserves) because they just haven't had the time. But they made up for it with hustle.'' Nic Echevestre led Saugus with 26 points, but the Centurions (14-13) had no one to deal with Berumen. They didn't help themselves with more turnovers (20) than points (19) in the first half. Kurt DeMaio added 18 points for Saugus. Fullove sat out his first game since his freshman year with a sprained right ankle. He hurt himself last Friday against Agoura, and despite six days of rehab, still wasn't 100 percent by game time. As a result, he rested Friday so he'd be ready for the second round Tuesday. ``It was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do, sit there on the bench,'' Fullove said. ``I could have played if they needed me, but I knew I could still help on the bench, giving guys encouragement. Fortunately we had some guys play well.'' Bell and Ward were effective around the basket and showed some hustle on the boards. But it was clear Fullove was missed. The Pioneers (26-2) lacked their usual sharpness despite forcing 28 turnovers and leading by as many as 29 points in the third quarter.``Fullove makes such a big difference,'' Bradshaw said. ``He makes things go for us.'' Simi Valley's depth has been a question all year - perhaps the only one surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. a team that dominated. The Pioneers' starting five is the best in the area; beyond that, the talent thins considerably. It wasn't an issue during the regular season. Simi Valley avoided injuries and foul trouble wasn't a factor because most games were wrapped up by halftime or early in the third quarter.Ironic then, that the Pioneers suffered their only significant injury during a regular-season ending win over Agoura. After sidestepping the potential problem all year, they confronted it head on at the worst possible time. The question now, of course, is whether Fullove can play in the second round Tuesday against either Troy or Claremont and, if so, at what level. And if he can't play, how much longer can Simi Valley win without him? |
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