Aurand, Pickett Come to Simi Valley Defense

Simi Valley High’s offense is so awesome that one can sometimes forget there is a flip side to the Pioneers: a defensive side.

Darren Aurand and Gerald Pickett do not put up the numbers of some of their more-publicized teammates, but they do put up on defense.

They did again Friday night, when Simi Valley defeated Camarillo, 88-58, in a Marmonte League game at Camarillo.

“We played some good defense,” said Aurand, a 6-2 guard. “We get in some passing lanes, and that’s what we have to do all the time.”

The Pioneers limited Camarillo to 21 of 49 field-goal attempts, including 2 of 10 in the first quarter.

Aurand held Camarillo guard Sean Young to nine points, one point in the first half. Chris Sorich, the Scorpions’ other guard, scored 18 points but needed 18 shots to get them.

Meanwhile, Don MacLean and Shawn DeLaittre were having their usual games. MacLean, the 6-10 All-American, scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and DeLaittre, a 6-5 forward, added 18 points.

DeLaittre was 6 of 9 from the field, and MacLean was 7 of 10, leading the Pioneers to a 29-of-44 shooting performance.

Simi Valley guard Butch Hawking scored 13 points and Aurand had 10.

The defensive effort did not seem to bother Simi Valley’s offense, which has averaged 88 points in running its league record to 5-0. The Pioneers are 14-3 overall and have won 20 consecutive league games since Camarillo beat them, 42-40, late in the 1985-86 season. They also have won 28 of their past 29 in the league.

Sharon Harbour, the wife of Camarillo Coach John Harbour, was struck in the face during a fight late in the second quarter behind the Camarillo bench. She was taken to a hospital but returned to the gym by game’s end.

Camarillo (7-7, 2-2), which has lost two consecutive league games, was led by Tom Carrillo’s 19 points.

Harbour, back this season after a year’s sabbatical, could find little fault with his team.

“I don’t really feel we played that bad,” Harbour said, “and we lost by 30. I think that’s indicative of how well Simi Valley played.

“I enjoy watching them play. I thought they played the game the way it ought to be played.”

And defense, the way it ought to be played.