Antonio Lopez dunks, makes key free throws as Thousand Oaks wins

But he saved his most important contribution for the final two seconds of the Marmonte League game, making two free throws to clinch a 66-62 victory over Simi Valley in a battle for first place.

Lopez finished with 18 points and was grateful the Lancers (13-2, 3-0) came away victorious despite a series of missed opportunities for Simi Valley (10-5, 2-1).

The Pioneers trailed the entire game, but their constant defensive pressure began to wear down the Lancers. They pulled to within 64-62 with 28 seconds left on a basket by Danny Cox.

Then the Pioneers got the ball back on a turnover. Three times in the final 10 seconds, Simi Valley missed shots that could have sent the game into overtime, the last a three-footer by C.J. Faulwell.

"We definitely lucked out," Lopez said.

Simi Valley's Brad Lewis finished with 24 points, but the Lancers did a good job making him ineffective in the first half. He missed six of his first seven shots.

"We just tried to have as many guys as we could try to slow him down," Lopez said.

One of the biggest plays of the game came at the end of the second quarter. Simi Valley was struggling and searching for a boost. Cox gave it to the Pioneers on an out of bounds play.

He threw the ball off the behind of a Thousand Oaks player, picked it up, scored, was fouled and completed the three-point play to enable the Pioneers to trail only 34-26 at halftime.

Then it was Lopez and his teammates who were able to withstand the Pioneers, aided by an energetic home-fan base.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com