SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS DIVISION I-A: HOME SWEET AGAIN FOR T.O. T.O. 74, S. GORGONIO 68.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - His senior year, at least the athletic portion of it, had been too much fun for Dave Anderson to let go of it yet.

So the Thousand Oaks High senior guard produced a emotionally driven performance with a career-high 30 points to lift the third-seeded Lancers past San Gorgonio of San Bernardino 74-68 in a Southern Section Division I-A boys' basketball quarterfinal Friday night.

Anderson was limping slightly after being knocked to the ground on a fourth-quarter foul and his voice fell hoarse from shouting instructions over a rowdy, overflow crowd. He loved it and savored his last game at the Lancers' gym.

``Our seniors didn't want it to end. We haven't lost on our home floor since our sophomore year against Westlake, so it's not going to start now,'' said Anderson, one of four Thousand Oaks (26-3) starters who won Marmonte League championships in football and basketball this season. Himself and two-sport teammates Kevin Rex and Ben Olson are seniors and best friends.

Rex also had a solid night with 17 points to help the Lancers make a return trip to the section semifinals and they hope avenge last season's overtime loss to El Toro.

``I'll never get to play a high school sport with Dave and Ben and all my best friends again,'' Rex said. ``We know going out every night that we have to do it so we can have another practice, another time chatting in the locker room.''

It was easy for the seniors to suffer from nostalgia at the final buzzer. But it's not the way Thousand Oaks reached this point.

The Lancers have been focused throughout an unbeaten Marmonte League season and in three playoff victories.

``This is their last night in this gym. They all know it, that's tough. But we can get sentimental later,'' Lancers coach Rich Endres said. ``We've got some more basketball. Nobody is talking about finishing, saying `This could be our last game.'`

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Thousand Oaks' Ben Olson, foreground, shields the ball while being pressured by Daryl Leach of San Gorgonio.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News