Kaloosi, a senior forward, paced the Nitros with a team-best 24 points and 11 rebounds. He certainly could have used some additional support.
The answers as to who will fill that role will need to come sooner than later. The Nitros, who competed in the 40th annual Bulldog Tip-Off Classic at Burbank High last week, will take part in another pool-play game against Alhambra at 4 p.m. today.
So, there won’t be much time to analyze the situation.
Simi Valley (4-1) stayed poised throughout the majority of the game, building a 46-27 halftime lead. The Nitros repeatedly chipped into the Pioneers’ lead, cutting the margin to 58-48 on a layup by senior guard David Mansuryan with 59 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Simi Valley, which will battle Alemany in another pool-play game at 5:30 p.m. today, wouldn’t let Glendale get any closer the rest of the way. Simi Valley senior guard Brad Lewis made a pair of three-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter to make it 64-48.
“We cut it down to 10, then we blinked and they were up by [18],” said Snodgress, who guided the Nitros to a postseason appearance last year. “That’s a real good team we played, and it will give us a barometer of where we are at.
“We learned that we can’t play into that kind of style of play that Simi Valley ran. We took too many quick shots. Simi Valley wanted to run and shoot, and we played right into their style.”
The Pioneers, who compete in the tough Marmonte League, enjoyed shooting from three-point range. They made 11 three-pointers, including eight in the first half. Lewis made a game-high seven three-pointers.
Mansuryan collected 15 points and a team-high five assists and eight steals for the Nitros, who got 13 points and four assists from senior guard Dion Dehbanian.
A layup by Mansuryan brought the Nitros to within 52-39 with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
