Through the first five games of the season, the Grizzlies are unbeaten in league following a 58-40 win over the Saugus Centurions at home Friday.
“Saugus always fights hard, credit to them. Year in and year out they’re known for how hard they play and shout out to their coaching staff for always getting their kids ready to play games,” said Golden Valley coach Travis Divita.
With the win, the Grizzlies (14-6, 5-0) now hold first place in the Foothill League standings as the Centurions (13-7, 4-2) fall to 4-2 in league play after losses to Golden Valley and West Ranch earlier in the season.
For Divita, the win serves as a reminder for the hard work the team has achieved all year as they’re now in the driver’s seat for the Foothill League title should they win out.
But he added after the game he is having his team prepare for games just one day at a time instead of looking ahead toward the end of the year.
“We’re trying to own the day and own the game and focus on one game at a time and not think too big about the big picture,” Divita said. “It’s just living the moment and be the absolute best you can be in every little individual moment of games. And that’s really all we preach to them every day.”
In the win on Friday, the Grizzlies were led in scoring by Alex Villejo, who dropped 16 points and four steals.
Junior guard Donovan Webb wasn’t too far behind in scoring as he tallied 15 points and contributed from everywhere on the floor as he secured five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“They’re just a competitive bunch,” Divita said in response to the team’s work ethic. “You could tell our guys just wanted to win this game. They played really hard against Canyon. We expect to play really hard next game because that’show you win basketball games.”
Since the league season picked back up in the new year last week, the Grizzlies are amid a four-game stretch where they match up against playoff teams from last season.
So far, the Grizzlies are 2-0 and hit the road to face the Valencia Vikings on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before a home matchup against the West Ranch Wildcats on Friday.
Divita echoed his message about focusing on each game one day at a time but also added that he wants his players to enjoy the moment, especially for his seniors.
“If we get so excited about what we did yesterday, then we might slip up and forget about what’s actually most important, and that’s honestly the moment,” he said. “For our seniors, this could be their last year of basketball in their lives … they love spending time with each other and are nerds about the game of basketball. It’s a very special group and I’m humble to be a part of their journey for sure.”
With the road loss, the Centurions hold second place in the Foothill League standings with the tiebreaker over the Valencia Vikings.
The Centurions play again on Friday at home against Castaic at 6:30 p.m.
After Friday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League.
Valencia 84, Canyon 58: The Vikings (11-8, 3-2) secured the home win over the Canyon Cowboys (11-8, 1-4).
The Vikings’ Steve Irons led all Valencia players in scoring with 22 points. Canyon senior guard Isaac Yuhico became the eighth player all time in Canyon High School history to score 1,000 points after a 25-point performance.
The Cowboys will look to bounce back on the road Tuesday against the Castaic Coyotes while the Vikings match up with the Golden Valley Grizzlies.
Both games tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Hart 68, Castaic 32: The Hawks (11-8, 2-3) recorded the home win over the Coyotes (3-11, 0-5) at home at Hart High School.
The Hawks end a three-game league losing streak and host West Ranch on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Coyotes will look to bounce back home over the Canyon Cowboys on Tuesday with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Photos below from Golden Valley’s win over Saugus:
