Dave Keefer
CaliforniaPreps.com Publisher

JV Championship: Team United 72, Simi Valley 59


Team United entered the championship game with a perfect 4-0 record. Their opponent the Simi Valley Pioneers entered the contest at 3-1 with their only loss coming against Team United (44-38) in the first round. Unlike their first game the championship game featured lots of scoring.

	# 22 Nick Bruen hits one of his 14 threes

Simi's Brad Lewis got things started early with a runner. He then connected on 3 straight shots and Simi jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. Team United battled back to tie the game at 16 with Alex Tiffin scoring 10 points during the stretch. With the score tied at 20, Nick Bruen provided a spark by hitting back-to-back three's. Team United then went on to outscore Simi 18-4 to take a 38-24 lead into the locker room.

# 1 Matthew Strickland scores on a runner

In the second half Simi mounted a comeback. This time it was Mustafa Sharawy leading the charge. Simi High had finally found some holes in the tough 1-3-1 zone defense. Sharawy connected on five three's during the comeback.

After another three by Brad Gandel narrowed the score to 53-52, Team United regrouped and took charge. Two free throws by Bruen, a lay up by Daniel Cox and a floater by Matthew Strickland and Team United was on their way to the Championship, winning 72-59.

	# 10 Steven Hester goes hard to the basket

In the end Team United had too many weapons. They had double figure scoring from five players. Alex Tiffin led the way with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Steven Hester and Nick Bruen added 11 points each, Bruen had 14 three pointers for the tournament. Daniel Cox and Steve Bethley each chipped in with 10 points and Grant Keller added 6 while handing out 6 assists. For the runner-up Simi Valley Pioneers, Brad Lewis poured in a game-high 20 points while Mustafa Sharawy added 17.

Team United now has a 42-3 record against Junior Varsity competition this year and currently owns a 19 game winning streak. The team plans on getting back together in March after their freshman season is over. CaliforniaPreps will be on the lookout for this exciting young team.

Scoring:

Team United (72): Tiffin 14 (12 rebs), Bruen 11, Hester 11, Bethley 10, Cox 10, Keller 6 (6 assists), Stansell 4 (6 assists), Strickland 4 (5 assists), Faulwell 2.

Simi Valley (59): Lewis 20, Sharawy 17, Gandel 9, P. Williams 5, Jones 4, R. Williams 2, Carranza 2.