Golden Valley’s defense shuts down Hart on the road; plus, scores from around the Foothill League
The Grizzlies had their lowest-scoring night of the season on offense in the team’s 43-28 win over the Hart Hawks.
But for Golden Valley coach Travis Divita, the team can afford to have an off night on offense when, on the defensive side of the ball, the Grizzlies held the Hawks to seven points a quarter.
“Just a lot of intensity, a lot of just togetherness, a lot of sacrificing bodies, diving on loose balls. It’s definitely not easy to hold a good team like that,” he said. “Seven points a quarter, that is not a common thing that you see very often. Our guys really, really battled and we’re very proud of them.”
Throughout the game, the Grizzlies (5-2, 3-0) held the Hawks (4-4, 1-2) at bay and never let Hart’s offense get going.
In the first quarter, the Grizzlies outscored Hart, 9-8, and in the second quarter, extended their lead with an 11-2 scoring run.
The Grizzlies’ Zach Christoffersen led the team in points with 14 and his teammate Donovan Webb scored 13 points as both players navigated the offense without turning the ball over.
“That’s one of our best games in regard to not turning the ball over for sure,” Divita said.
The Grizzlies ended the game outscoring the Hawks in the second half and winning by double digits to secure the win and remain unbeaten in Foothill League play.
After the game, Divita credited the perfect start in league play to his team’s competitiveness and the tough start to the year, as he believes they can only get better as the year goes on.
“We have a lot of seniors. So, maturity is there for sure,” he said. “These guys just love to compete, honestly. Like, they’re very competitive in our practices. And that part’s not too difficult because they all are kind of guys that hate losing more than they like winning sometimes.”
The Hawks had six players contributing on offense with Andrew Lange leading the team with 10 points.
Lange’s offensive night was not enough for Hart to overcome Golden Valley as the team falls to below .500 in league play with a 1-2 record.
The Hawks play again at home on Friday against the Shalhevet Firehawks of Los Angeles while the Grizzlies participate all throughout the next weekend in the San Fernando Valley tournament from Friday to Monday.
After Friday’s night game, here are scores from around the Foothill League.
West Ranch 59, Saugus 37: The Wildcats (3-5, 2-2) pulled off the win at home over the Saugus Centurions (5-2, 3-1).
The Wildcats’ defense held Saugus to 20 points in the first three quarters before the Centurions’ offense exploded for 19 points in the final quarter.
The Wildcats hung on for the win and play again in the Mission Prep Christmas Classic tournament hosted by Mission College prep throughout the next weekend.
As for Saugus, the Centurions will look to bounce back in the road against the Taft Toreadors with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Valencia 80, Castaic 35: The Vikings (8-4, 2-1) bounced back from their back-to-back losses to Saugus and Harvard-Westlake with a road win over the Castaic Coyotes (3-7, 0-4).
Four Vikings scored in double-figures in the win with Isaac Michel-Zavala leading the team with 13 points.
The Vikings play again in the Damien Classic following Christmas on Dec. 26 while the Coyotes will look to bounce back against the Burroughs Bears after New Year’s on Jan. 2.
Photos below from Golden Valley boys’ basketball win over Hart:
Nick Gastaldi (24) during the second quarter of Friday’s game at Hart High School on Dec. 12, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
