DOWN BY 12, SIMI RALLIES SIMI VALLEY 80, T.O. 76.

Byline: Rich Hammond 

THOUSAND OAKS - If Simi Valley High goes on to great things in the remainder of this boys' basketball season, it may very well look to Wednesday's matchup with Thousand Oaks that showed the Pioneers were championship material.

The Pioneers, minus one of their top scorers, overcame a 12-point first- half deficit to remain undefeated in the Marmonte League with an 80-76 victory over the Lancers at Thousand Oaks High.

Brett Michel, the Pioneers' second-leading scorer, did not play. Coach Christian Aurand declined to comment on why Michel did not play, saying only that the senior would return to the team for today's practice.

A source close to the team said Michel was kicked out of Monday's practice for talking back to the coaching staff.

``Everybody stepped up,'' said Branduinn Fullove, who scored a game- high 30 points and became the second-leading scorer in Pioneers history. ``I give a lot of credit to Thousand Oaks because they played a tremendous game, but each of our guys did a great job of playing his role.''

In the team's first meeting earlier this month, the Pioneers needed a basket in the final seconds to beat the Lancers, and the sequel did not disappoint.

With less than one minute to go, and trailing by two points, the Lancers missed two layups, then found Tim Chevalier open in the corner for a 3-pointer and a one-point lead. Jared Weaver returned the favor for Simi Valley with his only field goal of the game. He spotted up in the corner and never hesitated on a 3-pointer that put the Pioneers up 78-76 with 20 seconds left.

Shaun Michel stole a pass on the ensuing possession, and made a tough, nearly half-court pass right on the hands of Fullove, who converted two free throws to put the game away.

``That shot by Jared Weaver was just huge,'' Fullove said. ``Every player played up to his capabilities tonight, and that's what we needed.''

Despite the tremendous shooting efforts of Chevalier (24 points, six 3-pointers) and Kyle Kegley (26 points, five 3-pointers), Simi Valley managed to stay in the game.

The Pioneers found themselves down by 12 after one quarter and in danger of being blown out. But the Lancers cooled off from the perimeter, and Fullove and Dustin Villepigue (20 points) combined to give the Pioneers a stronger inside presence.

``We knew after the first quarter that we couldn't let it get away from us,'' Fullove said.

Simi Valley trimmed the lead to five at halftime and took its first lead since 5-0 one minute into the third quarter when Fullove stole an inbounds pass and converted a layup for a 44-43 lead. The game was tied after three quarters at 61, and neither team led by more than six points in the fourth quarter.