FRESHMEN BOYS B-BALL
First year highschool players get taste
of WCAL play
By Ryan Eshoff
It has come time for those
two months of reckoning that every freshman basketball team at
Valley Christian goes through. It is the beginning of West Catholic
league play. In an injury-riddled preseason, the freshmen boys
basketball squad persevered through rigorous practices and games
to achieve a 2-2 record going into WCAL competition.
In their opening game against Bellarmine, the Bells were the heavy
favorite, as Valley had never beaten them. A furious fourth quarter
push by the Warriors cut their deficit to three, but the Bells
proved solid and held off the feisty Warriors 38-30. Using their
loss as a building block, the freshmen traveled to Serra brimming
with confidence. In a back-and-forth thriller, Valley prevailed
60-54, sparked by a pair of threes by Austin Simon, and 22 points
from Dustin Lettenberger. Facing a strong St. Francis team that
had a considerable edge in height, the Warriors rallied from a
slow start for a 2-point halftime lead. Despite outscoring the
Lancers in the fourth quarter, Valley could not make up for a
2-point third quarter, and St. Francis held on, 38-36. Preparation
for St. Ignatius was rigorous, as the Wildcats are one of the
league’s top teams. For the first time in the league season,
Valley came out strong and held a first quarter lead. But consistent,
incredible shooting gave St. Ignatius the advantage and the win,
48-39.
These freshman opened the sextuple header at Sacred Heart Cathedral
on January 15. Surprised by the Fighting Irish’s fast start,
the Warriors trailed 34-19 at halftime. Though they trailed by
13 after three quarters, a furious 4th quarter rally and clutch
free throw shooting from Simon tied the score at 49. A spectacular
game ended on a devastating note when a Sacred Heart free-throw
with five seconds left crushed the Warriors’ hopes. Against
league-leading Archbishop Mitty January 18, the Warriors had a
chance to add a blemish to the Monarchs record, but Mitty proved
their case as the league-leader, prevailing 62-41. Lettenberger
led the team with his 15 points, continuing to lead the team in
scoring.
