The Grizzlies are 2-3 to begin the new season, but have opened the year with tough matchups in Westlake High School and Crespi.
On Tuesday, Golden Valley hosted Crespi at home and was defeated, 84-68, despite senior guard Alex Villejo’s 33-point performance.
“We love the kid. He’s a good player, a better human. Obviously, he stretches the floor for us. Creates a lot of space for primary ball handlers to get to the rim,” assistant head coach Frank Losinger said. “He’s a threat from 35 feet and on. So having a kid like that on your team it’s always a blessing and we love him as a human.”
Losinger, who took over media duties following the game, assumed the head coaching role along with the rest of the staff and “coached by committee” as Scott Barker was not available for Tuesday’s night game.
Losinger added that although the loss is a tough pill to swallow, the game proved to be valuable for the team as the team took on Crespi, which was in the Division 1 playoffs last season.
“Crespi, obviously ultra talented, very well coached. We knew they were going to be disciplined. We knew they were going to be athletic,” he said. “So, spending time watching a ton of film, prepping our guys the best we could. We wish we could have that second quarter back. But throughout the rest of the game, I thought our effort was great.”
In the first quarter, the Grizzlies took a 17-10 lead over the Celts following multiple threes from Villejo.
But in the second quarter, the Celts took a commanding 43-26 lead by the end with Villejo leading all Grizzlies in scoring 16 points at halftime and three from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Grizzlies in the second half scored 42 points in an attempt to come back against Crespi, but ran out of clock and were unable to claw out of the hole from the second quarter.
“I thought there were moments throughout today’s game where we really hit a good stride,” Losinger said. “But just like after every game, we’re going to go back, we’re going to go to practice. We’re going to watch film, and we’re going to be ready for Friday against Oaks Christian.”
The Celts, who are coached by five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, had Isaiah Barnes, who is the son of former NBA player Matt Barnes, tied with Cayman Martin for all Celts in scoring with 17 points.
As for Golden Valley, the Grizzlies had eight different players score in the loss with Wyatt Printz scoring the second most points behind Villejo with 11.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back on the road at Oaks Christian on Friday, who are undefeated to begin the season, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
