Despite the 14-point final difference, the matchup between the Hart Hawks and Golden Valley Grizzlies was a back-and-forth game with multiple lead changes.
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies were losing by six as the Hawks took a 39-33 lead following halftime.
But in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies’ offense was too much for the Hawks’ defense to handle as Golden Valley came away with the 62-48 home win.
“We had to really come out and earn it. [Hart] is a well-coached team, and they played super tough,” Golden Valley coach Travis Divita said. “We had some tough stretches in there as a team where the balls wouldn’t fall. But we got plenty of good looks throughout the night.”
In the first quarter, the Hawks opened with back-to-back threes. For Golden Valley, it was senior forward DeAngelo Mathis who kept the Grizzlies in the game with timely shots including a 3-pointer.
Mathis finished the night with eight points, but Divita added after the game that the forward stepped up in a big way for Golden Valley when the rest of the team was struggling to make a shot.
“DeAngelo had a huge game on both sides of the ball. He played super tough on defense,” he said. “That first corner three he hit was monumental because we couldn’t buy a basket at that time.”
At halftime, the game was tied at 25 apiece but in the third quarter the Hawks came away with the lead with Hart’s Andrew Lange leading the way.
Lange ended the night with 12 points, leading all Hart players in scoring.
The Hawks ended the third quarter with the 39-33 lead and looked to run away with the game in the final frame.
But in the fourth quarter, Golden Valley’s offense came alive with seniors Zach Christoffersen and Alex Villejo leading the Grizzles.
After a 6-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 39 apiece, with Christoffersen hitting a timely 3-pointer in the run, the Grizzlies’ offense never slowed back down.
Christoffersen led the team in scoring as he finished with 22 points.
As both teams’ offenses dueled out, the Grizzlies held a narrow 51-48 lead over Hart with 1:21 left in the game.
With the Grizzlies having possession, the Hawks’ defense prevented Golden Valley players from hitting the paint until a pass was dished out to Villejo, who shot and scored a crucial corner 3-pointer that caused the crowd in the Sal Frias Gymnasium to erupt.
“I knew I had the open shot, and I knew I can trust my ability to make the shot,” Villejo said. “I just didn’t think about the score. I didn’t think about anything else. I just trust my ability to make it and made a shot, and it gave us a huge advantage and pretty much shifted the entire game right there.”
With the lead back up to 6, the Grizzlies’ offense ran away with the game for the win as Hart was unable to respond.
Villejo, who recorded 15 points in the win, also crossed 1,000 career-point mark in the game, becoming the sixth player in the Santa Clarita Valley to do so this season.
“It feels amazing, and something I’ve always been dreaming of. I’ve been thinking about it since I was a sophomore,” he said. “Obviously, it wasn’t my focus but as it got closer and closer, once it felt like it was within reach and once I finally got it, I was very proud of myself.”
With the win, the Grizzlies improved to 8-1 in Foothill League play, and one step closer to claiming their first league title since 2010.
For Divita, the goal remains to approach the final few games one game at a time knowing his team’s time will come, but that there is still a dream to finish.
“If we keep winning individual moments on both sides of the ball, everything will eventually start going our way,” he said. “And that’s really what it is … when they are able to make all their shots, when they get the calls and win games even when things are not going your way, that shows those who can propel to the next level and hopefully something where we can build off of.”
The Grizzlies play again Friday on the road against Canyon with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Hawks fall to 5-4 in league play, fifth in the standings, and will look to bounce back at home 6:30 p.m. Friday against Saugus.
After Tuesday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
West Ranch 70, Saugus 68: The Wildcats (9-14, 6-4) secured the overtime win over the Centurions (15-10, 6-4).
For the Wildcats, the win jumps West Ranch into the third spot in the Foothill League standings over Saugus. As for the Centurions, senior guard Braydon Harmon did all he could as he recorded a stat line of 28 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
The Centurions will look to bounce back Friday on the road at Hart against the Hawks while the Wildcats match up with the Vikings at Valencia.
Both games tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Valencia 86, Castaic 47: The Vikings’ (14-11, 6-3) second unit contributed in a big way at home over the Coyotes (5-18, 0-10).
Junior guard Jacob York recorded 23 points and led the team in scoring as Luke Ammerman tallied 19.
The Vikings play again on Friday, hosting the Wildcats with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Coyotes will look to bounce back on Monday in league play against the Hawks at Hart.
Photos below from Golden Valley’s win over Hart:
