Last season, the Golden Valley boys’ basketball team saw its dreams of playing in the playoffs denied when it was decided that a coin-flip left the Grizzlies out due to a tiebreaker in the Foothill League standings.
With last season ending in disappointing fashion, the Grizzlies’ coaching staff and returning players were determined not to let a coin-flip decide their 2025-26 season.
For the first time in 17 years, the Golden Valley Grizzlies clinched the outright Foothill League championship with a road 50-28 win over the Saugus Centurions Monday night.
“Just pure joy and honestly, it’s such a beautiful thing to see,” Golden Valley coach Travis Divita said in response to the celebrations in the locker room. “All the hours, all the time sacrificed, their body sacrificed for one another, their effort just game in, game out … It’s just a blessing to have players that just care that much and that they’re willing to just go as hard as they can.”
After the game, as he saw the team celebrating, Divita added that winning the Foothill League title is a moment that the players won’t forget as he remembers the league championships he won with his alma mater.
“They’re going to remember that for the rest of their lives,” he said. “I was with the ’06 Canyon [league winning] team and I still think about it all the time. My entire preparation to help them, I got to talk to them about that and share those things, and I still see those guys every now and then. Some people live in different states, but when we do see each other, it’s that bond is unbreakable.”
In the win over Saugus, seven different Golden Valley players scored, with junior guard Donovan Webb leading the team with 21 points.
Webb, although a junior, is happy to win the league title but proud to have won it with this year’s senior class who all went through the disappointment of last season.
“Last year, we thought we could have competed for a championship,” he said. “After last season, we set the expectation to win a league championship, and we met our expectations and we hope to exceed them in the playoffs. I’m just super proud of this group.”
One pair that got to share a moment when the game ended was senior Wyatt Printz and former head coach Chris Printz.
Coach Printz was the head coach last season but left the role during the off-season to become the assistant principal at Golden Valley High School. He still attended games to help the current coaching staff.
The Grizzlies still have one more game left to play in the regular season but with the Foothill League title wrapped up, Webb and the team are getting ready to celebrate the seniors on Wednesday against the Valencia Vikings.
“We don’t look at the look ahead, we look at the now,” Webb said. “As much as we want to look at the playoffs, we’re just looking at Wednesday night against Valencia and hope our guys can have some fun on their seniors. But we’ll be ready to compete.”
As for Saugus, the loss drops the Centurions to a 7-5 Foothill League record but they remain in third place in the standings and clinched their spot in the playoffs regardless of what happens in Wednesday night’s games.
The Centurions were set to play their final regular-season game Tuesday night, a non-league matchup on the road against the Buckley Griffins of Sherman Oaks.
After Tuesday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Valencia 67, Canyon 64: The Valencia Vikings (16-11, 8-3) secured the narrow road win over the Canyon Cowboys (13-13, 2-9).
The Vikings play their final regular-season game on the road Wednesday against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley while the Cowboys host Castaic.
Both games tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Hart 58, Castaic 39: The Hart Hawks (17-10, 6-5) defeated the Castaic Coyotes (6-20, 0-11) and kept their postseason hopes alive as they remain in fourth place in the Foothill League standings.
The Coyotes play again on the road Wednesday against Canyon with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
As for Hart, the Hawks will look to clinch their spot in the playoffs with a win over the Wildcats at West Ranch High School in what will be a must-win for both teams that will determine who earns the final automatic entry into the postseason.
The matchup of the Wildcats and Hawks tips off 6:30 p.m. at West Ranch High School.
Photos below from Golden Valley’s win over Saugus:
