2019 All-SCV boys basketball
By Dan Lovi and Diego Marquez Signal Staff Writers Imagine a 6-foot-4, 205-pound freight train coming at you at full speed. Just when you think he’s going to run you…
Valencia's Richard Kawakami (1) drives past Saugus defender Stephen Tampus (32) at Valencia High. Dan Watson/The Signal
Valencia boys hoops set narrative for future teams
On Saturday night at Los Osos High School, the Valencia boys basketball team was eliminated from the CIF State Championships. It was the second time in two weeks that the…
Valencia boys basketball falls to Rancho Cucamonga in regional semifinals
The Valencia boys basketball team traveled to the city of Rancho Cucamonga for the second time in two weeks to take on the Cougars, this time in a CIF State…
Valencia shooting guard Jake Hlywiak puts up a layup in a CIF State Championship game against Cathedral Catholic at Valencia High School last season. Cory Rubin/The Signal
Valencia boys hoops protects home floor against Cathedral Catholic
The Valencia boys basketball team took to its home court on Thursday night to face Cathedral Catholic of San Diego in the second round of the CIF State Championships. The…
Valencia senior forward Josh Assiff stares down Saugus' Justin Espinoza in a road game for Valencia at Saugus High School. Cory Rubin/The Signal
Boys basketball teams face several obstacles on the road
Home court advantage is called that for a reason. The benefits of playing at home are plentiful. From avoiding the rigors of travel to having more fans in the crowd…
Valencia senior forward Jayden Trower goes up for the layup in a playoff matchup with Santa Monica at Valencia High School Tuesday Night. Cory Rubin/The Signal
Preparation pays off for Valencia boys basketball against Santa Monica
The Valencia boys basketball team was very prepared headed into its playoff game against Santa Monica on Tuesday. It had six films, went to see the Samo’s first-round playoff game…
Valencia boys basketball clinch Foothill League title with win over West Ranch
With a chance to clinch the Foothill League title, Valencia boys basketball traveled to West Ranch for a pivotal league game on Friday. Playing to its strengths, Valencia got the…
Valencia's Jayden Trower goes up for a jump shot against Canyon on Tuesday at Canyon High School. Photo courtesy of Jacob Velarde
Valencia boys basketball outrebounds Canyon on way to victory
The Valencia boys basketball team hit the road on Tuesday night to take on Canyon at the midway point of the Foothill League season. The Vikings held on to their…
Valencia junior Jake Hlywiak goes up for the contested layup in a Foothill League matchup with West Ranch at Valencia High School Tuesday night. Cory Rubin/The Signal
Valencia boys basketball withstands late West Ranch push
The Valencia boys basketball team withstood a potential fourth-quarter comeback by West Ranch to hold on to a 65-58 win on Tuesday night at Valencia. The Vikings built a double-digit…
Top storylines to follow this boys basketball season
With two league games already in the books, the local boys basketball teams are taking a break from conference play, but not from the court. All the Foothill League teams…
Valencia's Jake Hlywiak (2) shoots and scores against Hart defender Julian Verrier (24), left, at Valencia High School on Thursday. Dan Watson/The Signal
Valencia boys basketball buckles down on defense to defeat Hart
Lately, the Valencia boys basketball team has been making an emphasis in practice to get better on the defensive end. The work in practice is paying dividends as Valencia defeated…
Defensive struggles doom Valencia boys basketball against Campbell Hall
Valencia’s offense was working like it usually does on Wednesday night, but the defense struggled against Campbell Hall, as Valencia fell 77-71 at Heritage Christian High School. Valencia was able…
Valencia boys basketball takes down Viewpoint in The Warrior Classic
It was a 3-point extravaganza for the Valencia boys basketball team on Tuesday night against Viewpoint at Bishop Alemany High School. Every shot from downtown seemed to go in, whether…
Valencia boys basketball loses to Cajon in first round of CIF State Division 2 tournament
A year of firsts for the Valencia boys basketball program came to a halt Wednesday night. The Vikings, playing in their first-ever CIF State playoff game, fell 67-56 at Cajon…
Valencia's CJ Finley (1) drives in toward the basket as he is guarded by a Mission Prep player at Valencia on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
Valencia applies the pressure in win over Mission Prep
Traveling 160-plus miles to play a postseason game on the road wasn’t going to be enough pressure for Mission Prep. The Valencia boys basketball team really wanted to dial up…
Valencia’s Ben Grant (11) takes the ball downcourt during a home game as Golden Valley players guard him on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
Foothill League boys hoops roundup: Valencia flexes depth in win over Golden Valley
With its top scorer out of the lineup, the Valencia boys basketball team went deep down its bench to supplement the loss. Dexter Akanno (rest) didn’t suit up Friday night…
Valencia’s Josh Assiff (15) dribbles the ball down court during a home match against Bishop Alemany on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
Valencia may possess biggest mismatch in Foothill League boys basketball
There was a sense of relief in the voice of Valencia boys basketball coach Bill Bedgood following the team’s 91-80 win over Saugus on Tuesday night. Sure, the win to…
Foothill League boys hoops roundup: Valencia height too tall of a task for Saugus
Saugus already knew Valencia was going to have the height advantage when the two met to open Foothill League play Tuesday night. That advantage grew even larger with the addition…
