The winter sports playoffs are officially on their way with the journeys of these young men hoping to end their season as the CIF champions.
The Signal covered West Ranch and Saugus boys’ basketball. Here is a look at how the first round of SCV boys’ basketball played out for the remaining teams:
Canyon beats Victor Valley, 72-67
The third-place Canyon Cowboys (18-8, 8-4) started their playoff journey on the road against the Victor Valley Jackrabbits and pulled off a 72-67 upset win on Friday.
The Jackrabbits got out to a quick 11-point lead, up 29-18. The Cowboys would get more vocal on offense, culminating with Brandon Ritter hitting big shots and clutch free throws in the fourth quarter. Resiliency once again paid off for the Cowboys.
“We played against a really good team with a lot of talent,” said Cowboys’ head coach Ali Monfared. “We’re really excited we get to practice as a team together again tomorrow. We want more. We think we can compete with anybody and we’re really excited for the kids, our school and our community. We want more. Tonight, we’re going to enjoy it and tomorrow we’re back to work.”
The Cowboys were led with Ritter scoring 15 points and grabbing two rebounds. Jakob Regez finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Brandon Boldroff finished with 17 points and four rebounds and Matt Heyne led the team in points (24) and rebounds (17).
The Cowboys’ next match is scheduled to be played against Oak Hills on Tuesday at 7 p.m. with the location still waiting to be determined.
Golden Valley loses to Garden Grove, 50-49
The Golden Valley Grizzlies (11-10, 5-7) are on their way to change the culture of the boys’ basketball program after finishing in fourth place in the Foothill League and securing a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
Unfortunately, the Grizzlies’ run came to an end with a nail-biting 50-49 loss to the Garden Grove Argonauts (18-8, 9-1) on Friday, ultimately ending their season.
Trinity beats Gabrielino, 68-52
The Trinity Classical Academy Knights (24-5, 12-2) enter the postseason with the most wins in the program’s history and continued their dominance with a 68-52 victory against the Gabrielino Eagles (18-10, 12-0) on Friday.
The Eagles were able to keep it to a one-point game at halftime before the Knights went on a 23-8 third-quarter run, ultimately sealing the win.
“We really trusted each other out there tonight,” said Knights’ head coach Daniel Hebert. “We just kept doing what we’ve been doing and have prepared for this all year. The leadership really showed tonight. We’re excited tonight but tomorrow we got to move on and press over.”
The Knights were led by André Salinas with 23 points and seven rebounds. Hunter Gillman finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and John Cervantes-King finished with 11 points and six assists.
The Knights’ next match is scheduled to be played against Sunny Hills on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Newhall Church of the Nazarene.
SCCS loses to St. Francis, 47-35
The Santa Clarita Christian School Cardinals (16-9) entered the Division 1 playoffs coming off dominating and setting the precedent for SCV basketball in two of the past three seasons.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals season comes to an end at the hands of the St. Francis Knights (24-5, 4-2) with a 47-35 loss on Friday.
