Valencia High boys basketball is still looking to put together a complete 32-minute performance.
Canyon would have settled for consecutive good quarters Tuesday.
Despite a late rally, the Cowboys couldn’t overcome a four-point first quarter and seven-point third quarter in a 57-47 Foothill League loss to the visiting Vikings.
“We have a glitch we have to fix. Is it going to be fixed overnight? I don’t know,” Valencia coach Chad Phillips said. “It’s all about developing faith and confidence. In the fourth quarter, we had mostly good shots, we just didn’t make them. But this is a young group and they’re still learning how to win, so I’m proud of my guys.”
Canyon (5-14, 0-3) lost its eighth in a row, with Valencia (10-9, 2-1) rebounding from Friday’s one-point loss to Golden Valley to secure back-to-back victories, including a 58-51 win Saturday over Chatsworth.
Canyon cut a 17-point deficit to 49-44 with 43 seconds remaining, but the Vikings converted all eight free throws down the stretch, including the final four from Zach Hawkins.
Dexter Akanno and Hawkins both scored 12 points for Valencia, which received nine points each from Ben Grant and Kyler Motoyasu.
“It shows we’re not a one-person or two-person team where teams can go box-and-one or triangle-and-two against us to try to stop one or two guys,” Akanno said. “We let them back in the game, but this shows we can hit shots in crunch time in the fourth quarter.”
Camden Apsay and Josue Valencia both had nine points and Yvon Yomba contributed eight points for Canyon, which let a seven-point halftime deficit double by the end of the third quarter. The Cowboys managed just one field goal during a five-minute stretch in the second half, resulting in them trailing 45-28 with six minutes remaining.
Canyon responded by scoring 16 of the next 20 points, with Josue Valencia contributing seven points during the run.
Although Camden Apsay hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining, the Cowboys missed four of their final five shots and Grant, Motoyasu and Hawkins secured the Vikings’ victory with their efficiency at the free-throw line.
