LB Jordan Once Again Waylays Simi Valley, 77-61

Simi Valley High suffered a serious case of deja vu Friday night when it was handed a 77-61 defeat by Long Beach Jordan in a Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinal at Lakewood High.

In 1990, the Pioneers ventured into the same gymnasium for a quarterfinal and fell to an athletic Long Beach Poly team that featured Willie McGinest, now a defensive end for USC’s football team, and Tyus Edney, a reserve basketball guard at UCLA.

This time, only its opponent’s jersey colors had changed for Simi Valley (21-6).

Jordan (22-6), champion of the strong Moore League and seeded third, made its presence known even before tip-off when six Panthers dunked during pregame drills.

And the Panthers used their athleticism to harass Simi Valley much of the game, building a 17-point lead in the third quarter and holding off a late rally that cut Simi Valley’s deficit to 10 with two minutes left.

“I think our athleticism probably made the difference,” Jordan Coach Ron Massey said. “We wanted to tire Simi Valley out.”

Jordan’s superior quickness and leaping ability helped limit Simi Valley to 40% shooting from the field and forced the Pioneers to commit turnovers they usually don’t commit. In the first half, Simi Valley failed to make a field goal in a brick-laden span of 6 minutes 41 seconds.

“They can jump well and they like to set a real fast tempo,” said Simi Valley senior forward Danny Alexander (18 points, nine rebounds). “We weren’t playing our game; we were playing theirs. Usually when somebody on our team isn’t hitting, somebody else is. That wasn’t the case, though.”

Despite its lack of manpower, Simi Valley used hustle and determination to pull within 67-57 when junior guard Ryan Briggs (10 assists) found sophomore forward Nathan Simmons (14 points) for a lay-in with 2:31 left. Jordan, however, countered with an 8-0 run led by Everett Ratleff (20 points) and Jerome Dunn (21 points). With Jordan enjoying a 75-57 lead and only 1:19 remaining, Bradshaw emptied his bench.

Afterward, Simi Valley’s locker room was flooded with hugs and tears. It was the sort of emotion that has carried Simi Valley at times this season and enabled the Pioneers to forget last year’s 9-17 record.

“It hurts because of the quality of people we had this season,” Coach Dean Bradshaw said.