After an overtime loss to the Hart Hawks on Jan. 20, the Valencia Vikings have responded by winning three straight Foothill League games,including a 73-69 victory over the West Ranch Wildcats at home Friday night.
“It wasn’t X’s and O’s, it was just guys giving effort, especially right down at the end of the stretch,” Valencia head coach Greg Fontenette said after the game. “Guys are tired, guys are exhausted and I’m asking the bench, ‘Do you guys need a break?’ and they’re like, ‘No, we need to finish this.’ And I knew right then and there that was the turning point.”
Valencia (15-11, 7-3) junior center Steve Irons led the team in scoring with 18 points and came up big in the fourth quarter.
With a 72-69 deficit, the Wildcats (9-16, 6-5) drove to the basket but missed the shot, which led to Irons collecting the rebound.
Once Irons got off the rebound, he was fouled on the play and went to the free throw line, where he made 1-of-2 attempts.
After the game, Fontenette spoke on Irons’ performance and how he came up big in the win.
“That was my favorite part of the whole game,” he said. “Like, outside everything that happened it wasn’t the missed free throw, it was how the team responded to the missed free throw … So, when I saw all the four guys come up to him and just pat him on the back and give him that uplifting moment, I knew now we’re starting to turn that corner, which I really wanted them to do.”
The team held on for the win, holding the Wildcats’ offense to no points in the final minute of regulation.
As for the Wildcats, senior point guard Alessandro Matera was scoring from all over the field as he recorded 14 points in the loss.
But it was senior forward Toni Oguntolu who led the team in scoring with 16 points.
Another Valencia pair that contributed to the win was the McCoy brothers in Josiah and Romel, who combined for 29 points.
Fontenette added that it’s been big for the team to have a pair like those two as they do all the “dirty work” for Valencia that helps the Vikings win close games.
“They’re willing to do whatever is necessary … those two guys are my dogs on the team,” he said. “I think it’s extremely crucial for any team to be successful, you got to have some guys like that who don’t care about the spotlight. They want to do all the dirty work, and that’s what the McCoy brothers do.”
With the win, the Vikings remain in second place in the Foothill League standings and still are in contention for the league title.
Although the first-place Golden Valley Grizzlies are multiple games ahead, the Vikings are looking to finish the year strong and not focus too much on the league race as they have bigger goals in mind and that’s success in the postseason.
“My whole biggest thing was trying to not get the team to peak too early,” he said. “I think that kind of got settled because the injuries kind of forced us not to peak too early. So, it’s all about, as a coach, you’re trying to get your team to peak at that right time, and I think right now we’returning that corner. Like I said, that free throw was all I needed to see as far as the where the mentality and the culture of the team is.”
The Vikings were set to play again on the road Monday night against the Cowboys at Canyon High School while the Wildcats, who remained in fourth place going into Monday, are to play their final league game of the season Wednesday against the Hart Hawks.
Both games tip off at 6:30 p.m.
After Friday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Saugus 48, Hart 45: The Centurions (16-10, 7-4) secured the narrow victory over the Hart Hawks (16-10, 5-5) as Saugus improved to 7-4 in league play and hold the third spot in the standings.
The Centurions hold a one-game lead ahead of the fourth place West Ranch Wildcats and play their final Foothill League game of the season at home tonight against the Golden Valley Grizzlies at 6:30 p.m.
As for Hart, the Hawks were looking to bounce back at home Monday night against Castaic with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Golden Valley 58, Canyon 43: The Grizzlies (19-7, 9-1) are one win away from winning the team’s first Foothill League title since the 2008-09 season following a victory over the Cowboys (13-12, 2-8) Friday night.
The Grizzlies were looking to make history Monday night on the road at Saugus for a matchup against the Centurions with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Cowboys were looking to bounce back with a home matchup Monday night against the Valencia Vikings with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Photos below from Valencia’s win over West Ranch:
