Simi Valley Edges Past Alemany in Overtime

Alemany High center Bill Lucid looks like a basketball player that time forgot. With a crew cut, an Adam’s apple the size of a golf ball, a rangy build and elbows sharp enough to draw blood, Lucid looks like a refugee from a basketball court, circa 1955.

Lucid and the rest of the Alemany Indians play a pretty fair brand of old-fashioned basketball, too, but when Lucid fouled out with 2:15 left in the fourth quarter of the Hart tournament championship game against Simi Valley on Tuesday night, it was time for the man nobody can forget to take control.

Simi Valley center Don MacLean scored a tournament-high 34 points to lead Simi Valley to its second straight Hart tournament title with a 68-62 win in overtime.

The 6-6 Lucid, who scored 17, gave 6-10 MacLean and the Pioneers all they could handle in the first three quarters, as Simi Valley (12-1) led only once before the start of the fourth quarter. Simi Valley struggled all game to recover from a seven-point opening quarter when MacLean scored each of the Pioneers’ three field goals.

Simi Valley narrowed the margin some in the second quarter, but Alemany (8-4) still led, 31-27, at the half.

For most of the game, MacLean, a junior who was named the tournament most valuable player for the second consecutive season, and his Simi Valley teammates were given a lesson in the old school of fundamental basketball.

“That was one of the toughest games of the year,� MacLean said.

Simi Valley, ranked No. 2 in the Valley by The Times, started its comeback in the second half. With the Pioneers trailing, 39-33, in the third quarter, Travis Bice, who finished with 12 points, drilled three straight jump shots to tie the game. Shawn DeLaittre added 17 for Simi Valley.

MacLean gave Simi Valley its first lead since a 3-2 margin in the first quarter when he made two free throws to open the fourth quarter. MacLean made eight of nine foul shots.

The Pioneers held the lead for the rest of the quarter and appeared to have the game in hand when they took a 58-57 lead and MacLean was fouled with eight seconds left.

He made the front end of a one-on-one, giving Simi Valley a 59-57 lead, but missed the second. Alemany guard Jon Beaucheman made an 18-foot jumper with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.

But without Lucid, Alemany could not stop Simi Valley underneath the basket. MacLean and DeLaittre scored on inside baskets and Simi Valley ran another 1:10 off the clock before Alemany scored with 17 seconds left, but Simi Valley had built a 65-59 lead by that time.

Bice, DeLaittre and Lucid were all-tournament along with Alemany’s Dave Swanson. Also included on the team were San Fernando’s Shelton Boykin, Canyon’s Greg Paskwietz and Westlake’s Rick Welch and Paul Keenan.

In other games, Westlake defeated Saugus, 79-72, in the third-place game. Senior forward Paul Keenan scored 24, and center Dave Heckmann added 21 points for Westlake (9-3). Senior forward Rusty Morse scored 21 points for Saugus (8-6).

In the fifth-place game, San Fernando beat Quartz Hill, 67-62. Shelton Boykin scored 20 points to lead San Fernando (5-5). Tory Stephens and Sean Declouet each added 12 points for San Fernando. Byron Moles led Quartz Hill with 19 points.

Crescenta Valley won the consolation championship with an 89-86 overtime victory over Canyon. Senior guard Barrie Eget scored a game-high 34 points for Crescenta Valley. Eget’s performance offset the output of Greg Paskwietz and Stuart Sayre, who finished with 29 and 26 points, respectively, for Canyon.