Centurions earn decisive road victory over Valencia with Braydon Harmon leading the way; plus, scores from around the Foothill League
It was a playoff-level atmosphere at Valencia High School’s gymnasium between the Saugus Centurions and Valencia Vikings as they battled back and forth in an early season matchup of last season’s co-Foothill League champions.
In the end, the Centurions pulled through for the narrow win over Valencia 54-50, behind senior forward Braydon Harmon’s 23-point performance.
“Coming in, I try to keep our guys loose. We know we’re the underdogs, and we know what we’re capable of, and I see these guys can shoot. They can really play against anybody,” Saugus head coach Alfredo Manzano said. “I was hoping for some of the shots to start falling in so we could be in this game. But hey, our motto is just to be committed. Dog out, blue-collar mentality and they did a great job today.”
In the first quarter, with the Valencia crowd cheering for their team, the Vikings (7-3, 1-1) took a narrow 12-8 lead over Saugus with the Centurions (5-1, 3-0) offense missing shots early.
With the Valencia crowd only getting rowdier, the Centurions rallied behind the crowd’s energy and began making shots with Harmon leading the way, and took the lead in the second quarter heading into halftime.
After the game, Harmon said that the Valencia crowd only fueled him and the team throughout the game. He added that he loves to play in those types of environments.
“I love the crowd. It doesn’t shut me down. It just hypes me up and allows me to play better with a little fire under me,” he said. “When I hear the crowd, I can just rally my team up, huddle up and tell them that we know what to do and we have to finish the job.
The Centurions extended their lead with an 8-2 scoring run in the beginning of the third quarter and narrowly outscored the Vikings, 32-30, en route to the win.
Harmon ended the game leading all Centurions in scoring and tallied five rebounds.
As for Manzano, he added that Harmon will be a key piece for Saugus to win the rest of the season as performances like Tuesday are what he likes to see from him.
“I’m proud of him because last year we needed him to step up and be the X-factor,” he said. “So, he knew coming in that the pressure is everywhere, right? And told him to have fun, you’re playing in front of your parents, family, just go out there and have fun and try to loosen up a little bit because we definitely needed all those rebounds and points from him.”
Centurion junior guard Aiden Pisarnwongs was second in scoring with 10 points and recorded eight rebounds and assists.
As for Valencia, the Vikings were without Steve Irons who did not play but were led by Ali Eldein and Romel Mcoy who had 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Vikings will look to bounce back from the loss on Friday at Castaic against the Coyotes while the Centurions matchup with the Wildcats at West Ranch with both games set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m.
After Tuesday’s night games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Golden Valley 75, Castaic 44: The Grizzlies (4-4, 2-0) secured their second league win over the Castaic Coytes (3-4, 0-2) at home.
Grizzlies senior guard Wyatt Printz recorded a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds. Junior point guard had an all-around performance with eight points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
The Grizzlies play again at Hart with the Hawks on Friday while the Coyotes host the Valencia Vikings with both games set to tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Canyon 69, West Ranch 65: The Cowboys (9-4, 1-2) earned their first league win of the year in overtime fashion against the West Ranch Wildcats (2-5, 1-2) at home.
Senior guard Isaac Yuhico tallied a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds along with six assists. Senior forward Adam Graham also was in the double-digits with 23 points and recorded 10 rebounds.
The Cowboys pick up Foothill League action again in January and start their winter break early while the Wildcats look to bounce back at, home hosting Saugus on Friday.
Photos gallery below from Saugus boys’ basketball win over Valencia:
