HS HOOPS: Thousand Oaks limits Davis, defeats Simi Valley 71-55

THOUSAND OAKS - Stop Jonathan Davis and you stop Simi Valley.

The high-scoring senior was burdened by early foul trouble and played just 19 minutes Friday, scoring just eight points as Thousand Oaks defeated the visiting Pioneers 71-55 in a Marmonte League basketball showdown before a capacity crowd of about 1,400.

Davis picked up his second foul just four minutes into the game and sat the rest of the first half, as Thousand Oaks (15-1, 4-0) opened an early 11-point lead and was never seriously threatened.

Davis, guarded carefully by Thousand Oaks' designated defender Richard Mullaney, did not make his first field goal until six minutes into the third quarter.
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"We came out flat, and when I'm not in the game we struggle a little bit on offense," Davis said. "Mullaney is a great defender. I have a lot of respect for him."

Mullaney had help, too. Every time Davis put the ball on the floor, another Thousand Oaks defender quickly hustled over to double-team him, and the George Washington-bound forward got increasingly frustrated.

Evann Hall scored a career-high 33 points for Thousand Oaks, hitting 9 of 11 shots including three 3-pointers and pulling down 11 rebounds with two assists. He's struggled with foul trouble in recent weeks, too, so he could relate to what Davis was going through.

"It's hard sitting on the bench, but that helped us tonight," Hall said. "Plus, no one likes being double-teamed. I know I don't. I've actually been friends with Jonathan for a long time. We played club ball together when we were freshmen."