Happy homecoming for Murphy
MHS girls' basketball team wins at Simi Valley
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers PUSHING THE PACE- Moorpark High's Tara Noorani, right, drives around Simi Valley's Meaghan Goodenough during Wednesday's 64-46 Musketeers victory on the road.

Chances are Dave Murphy probably wasn't the most popular guy on Simi Valley High's campus Thursday.

Although Murphy still teaches at SVHS, the longtime Pioneer girls' basketball coach returned to his former gym Wednesday night for the first time since taking a job as the Moorpark High coach.

Murphy, who won 420 games at the helm of the Pioneers, showed he hasn't lost his touch as his Musketeers rolled to an easy 64-46 victory.

The win put the Musketeers' Marmonte League record at 5-2 and their overall record at 12-7.

"Before tonight's game I went on the strangest bus ride ever," Murphy said. "I'm so used to the bus trip going the other way- from Simi to Moorpark- that I was a little confused."

Once the game began, Simi Valley seemed to be confused with how to stop Moorpark.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers BACK IN THE BUILDING- Moorpark High girls' basketball coach Dave Murphy helped lead the Musketeers to a 64-46 victory at Simi Valley Wednesday night. Murphy, who still teaches at SVHS, coached the Pioneers for 25 years before coming to Moorpark.

MHS opened with a 12-1 run and didn't allow a Simi Valley field goal until Breanne Metcalf made a layup in the final minute of the first quarter.

The Pioneers especially had a tough time stopping Moorpark seniors Lauren Carter and Molly Carson.

Carter and Carson each scored 20 points, with 10 of Carter's points coming in the third quarter. Fifteen of Carson's 20 points came by way of the 3pointer.

"Honestly, we're taking it one game at a time, but we knew Simi Valley was coming up," Carson said.

"This is a big win for us because we have a tough game Friday at Royal, but also we really wanted to get this win for Coach Murphy."

Murphy said a couple times during the game he forgot, briefly, what team he was coaching.

"I used Simi terminology once during a time out and the players looked at me as if to say, 'What?'" Murphy said. "I just looked up in the air and told myself it must be the gym."

Carson said a big reason for Moorpark's victory was the team getting contributions from its entire roster.

"We had great ball movement tonight," Carson said. "We knew they were going to double-team Carter, so the rest of the team had to do a good job when she kicked the ball out.

"It wasn't just Carter and I who played a good game tonight. Players like Kathy Ceja and Tara Noorani hit a couple of big shots off the bench for us."

Murphy may have won Wednesday night against his old team, but he said he wouldn't rub it in at school.

"I was walking down the court before the game, and one of the Simi Valley cheerleaders, who's in one of my classes, stopped and said, 'Mr. Murphy, you coach at another school?'" Murphy said. "The campus is pretty big and I'm sure most people don't even know about it.

"I have a lot of respect for this place. In a way, I almost feel guilty that we beat them. I wish them a lot of luck, just not twice a year when we play them."

With the loss, Simi Valley's record fell to 2-5 in league play.

Tonight Moorpark travels to Royal High, who, along with Newbury Park, is a game ahead of the Musketeers for first place in the Marmonte League. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.