Lady Vikings secure big win at home over Saugus; plus, scores from around the Foothill League
In an early season championship test for both teams, the Valencia Vikings and Saugus Centurions matched up at Valencia High School with first place of the Foothill League standings up for grabs.
By the final whistle, the Vikings defeated the Centurions at home, 77-36, and opened league play with back-to-back wins.
“We had a great game plan, and we executed at a really high level, and our girls, they came out and played amazing,” Valencia head coach Jared Honig said. “So, I am really proud of the effort from our team and competing at a high level against a tough team.”
Heading into Tuesday night, both Valencia (6-1, 2-0) and Saugus (6-2, 2-1) had the highest win total out of any team in the Foothill League at this point of the season. And with both teams winning their league openers, Tuesday’s matchup was a fight for the top of the overall standings.
For Valencia, the Vikings relied heavily on senior Cara McKell, who scored 25 points on offense and 5 blocks on defense.
After the game, Honig credited McKell for leading the team to the win as she “set the tone” for the Vikings.
“She’s one of our seniors. She’s a leader, so she came out really strong and set the tone for the group,” he said. “Hitting shots inside, outside, making plays for everyone. Senior year, you want to go out on top, right? So, I think she did a really good job setting the tone for the team.”
In total, seven different Vikings scored in the win with five different Valencia players making three’s from beyond the arc.
Freshman point guard Sophia Sarkar scored 13 points with nine of those points coming from past the three-point line.
Sophomore guard Kamila Basyrova finished the night with 19 points, second in scoring, and scored two three-pointers.
With the win, Honig is proud of his team for getting the early season as the Vikings begin league play 2-0 with wins over Hart and Saugus.
“We knew it was an important one, especially for Foothill League to play early on in the season,” he said. “So, it was great to get a first couple of wins and try to set the tone for the rest of the league. We’re just going to keep it going and keep playing our best basketball.”
As for Saugus, the Centurions fell to 2-1 in league play and recorded their second overall loss after falling to the Ventura Cougars earlier in the year.
The Centurions play again at home on Friday hosting West ranch while the Vikings hit the road to Castaic to face the Coyotes with both games set to tip-off at 5:00 p.m.
After Tuesday’s night games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Golden Valley 59, Castaic 34: The Grizzlies (7-4, 1-1) won at home by double-digits over the Castaic Coyotes (2-6, 0-3).
The Coyotes remain winless in the Foothill League so far this season and host the Vikings on Friday.
As for Golden Valley, the Grizzlies hit the road to Hart High School for a matchup against the Hawks on Friday.
Canyon 56, West Ranch 33: The Cowboys (4-5, 2-1) secured the win over West Ranch (8-2, 2-1) at home.
Canyon guard Darby Dunn led all players in scoring with 28 points and shot four-for-nine from beyond the arc enroute to a double-digit win over the Wildcats.
The Cowboys wrapped up Foothill League play for the year as they have the scheduled bye on Friday and don’t pick up league action until January.
As for West Ranch, the Wildcats continue their road trip to Saugus High School with a matchup against the Centurions with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
Photos below from Valencia girls’ basketball win over Saugus:
