Chargers can’t seal the deal vs. Simi Valley




RANDY THOMSON/Acorn Newspapers RUNNING JUMPER—Agoura’s Conner Faught shoots over a host of  Simi Valley  defenders  during Tuesday  night’s  58-57  overtime Charger loss on the road. AHS plays again tomorrow night vs. T.O.

RANDY THOMSON/Acorn Newspapers RUNNING JUMPER—Agoura’s Conner Faught shoots over a host of Simi Valley defenders during Tuesday night’s 58-57 overtime Charger loss on the road. AHS plays again tomorrow night vs. T.O.


Twice, the Agoura boys’ basketball team had Simi Valley right where they wanted them Tuesday night in the Pioneers’ gym.

But the Chargers let Simi slip away both times.

Following a late foul in regulation, Agoura’s Matt Speciale put his team up, 50-48, with 8.2 seconds remaining after converting the front end of a oneand-one.

Speciale missed his second foul shot and Simi Valley’s Lorne Jackson took the ball the length of the court before hitting a running jump shot as time expired.

Jackson’s basket sent the game into overtime.

It also sent the small Simi Valley crowd into a frenzy.

“If we could have been a little more patient, used the clock a little better in the final seconds, we probably could have beat them in regulation,” AHS head coach Joe Riccio said. “But it didn’t happen. Simi did a great job.”

With senior guard Conner Faught—the Marmonte League’s leading scorer—struggling from the field, and senior center Daniel Scott out of the game after collecting his fifth personal foul, the Chargers quickly found themselves down, 54-50, a minute into overtime.

“I just couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean,” Faught said. “I just couldn’t hit anything.”

Faught entered the contest averaging 21.2 points per game, but was held to just 13 points vs. Simi Valley on six-of-17 shooting.

Pioneer senior guard Lorne Bell, a standout on the football field, was physical with Faught throughout the contest.

“It was good defense, but it wasn’t overwhelming pressure,” Faught said.

Despite the adversity, Faught and his teammates regained their composure midway through the overtime session and once again found themselves in a position to win the game as the clock neared zero.

Following another late foul call, this time with 8.6 remaining in overtime, Agoura senior guard Brandon Kessler toed the foul line with his team down a point. “Oh man, I love pressure,” Kessler said. “I love when I hear (the fans) yelling at me. I’m just like, ‘Give me that.’”

Kessler knocked down both free throw attempts to put his team up, 57-56.

Needing a defensive stand to win the game, Agoura allowed Bell to cross the mid-court line and find a wide open Spencer Feist under the basket for the uncontested, game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds left in overtime.

The Chargers argued that more time should be put on the clock after calling timeout, but the referees weren’t willing to budge.

“We called timeout with three seconds,” Kessler said, “but they gave us 1.3.”

After an unsuccessful inbound attempt from Agoura, the Pioneers wrapped up the game, 58-57.

Senior forward Jason Ancrum had nine points for Agoura, while senior forward James Hession added six points.

The loss dropped the Chargers’ record to 9-5 overall, including a 1-1 mark in the Marmonte.

Simi Valley is 7-7, 1-1 in league.

Agoura’s next game is Friday night at Thousand Oaks. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.

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