BOYS BASKETBALL: T.O. ENDS SIX-YEAR SKID AGAINST SIMI THOUSAND OAKS 64, SIMI VALLEY 59.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - The clock was ticking away on Thousand Oaks High senior Kyle Kegley. And not just in Wednesday night's game.

Kegley was also running out of opportunities to beat Marmonte League boys' basketball rival Simi Valley in varsity competition.

That stigma won't be haunting Kegley years from now. He overcame a cold, his own poor play early in the game and a 16-point deficit to lift the Lancers past the Pioneers 64-59 at Thousand Oaks.

Kegley scored 10 points in the final 3 minutes, 19 seconds to keep Thousand Oaks (14-4, 4-1) near the top of a congested Marmonte League.

``When I was a freshman on the Frosh/Soph team, I (beat the Pioneers). But in my whole (three-year) varsity career I hadn't beaten them,'' Kegley said.

Thousand Oaks lost twice by a combined six points during Simi Valley's 12-0 league-championship run last year. The Lancers had gone six years without beating the Pioneers.

The situation seemed bleak again as Simi Valley (14-6, 3-3) led 45-29 at halftime. But after the Lancers cut the margin to 51-42 going into the fourth quarter, Kegley took over.

His ofalance putback while being fouled, along with the ensuing free throw, tied the game at 57. With 2:04 left, Kegley buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 60-57 advantage.

And with the Lancers milking the clock in the last minute, Kegley made a short jumper in the lane for a five-point lead. His two free throws with 15.6 seconds remaining finished off Simi Valley.

``Kyle's pretty much our team leader, and we look for him to score points. And he did a great job coming through at the end,'' said Lancers junior forward Ben Olson, another key component in the comeback.

Olson's two transition dunks in the third quarter ignited Thousand Oaks. He finished with 19 points, 15 in the second half. Kegley scored 18 and Kevin Rex 15.

Simi Valley used efficient first-half execution of the inside-outside game to take control. Center Dustin Villepigue, who finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds, scored 17 in the first half.

Jered Weaver and Stevie Martin added 12 each for the Pioneers, who were outscored 35-14 after halftime.

``It just seemed like we were spinning our wheels there late in the game,'' Pioneers coach Christian Aurand said. ``To their credit, they did the things they needed to do to get back in the game.''

Accustomed to cruising through the fast lane in the Marmonte League, two-time defending-champion Simi Valley is now stuck in rush-hour gridlock in the middle of the pack.