BOYS BBALL TAKES CCS
Team also wins tough WCAL
By Ryan Eshoff
In a year unlike any this
school has ever seen, the boys varsity basketball team has established
many firsts for the program. On the heels of an amazingly successful
regular season (2nd place finish), Valley Christian began the
WCAL playoffs in strong contention for the tournament crown.
Being one of the few teams to defeat the Warriors in league play,
the St. Francis Lancers hardly darted below the VC radar. Lacking
a game-changing run, VC used balance and consistency to maintain
their lead. VC took the game, 45-40.Junior Terrence Worthy’s
amazing hustle resulted in 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists
for the guard. Senior Montel Lee led all scorers with 16 points,
and senior Jerry Cotton contributed 11.
The St. Francis win set up a rematch against Archbishop Mitty,
victorious over Valley the previous two meetings. Wise to Mitty’s
schemes and abilities, the Warriors simply refused to give. Worthy
sparked the offense with 21 points and 5 assists, and senior Cameron
Bradford was a force at both ends, scoring 12 points, grabbing
8 rebounds, and containing Mitty star Alex Okafor. This combination
led to the Warriors’ 60-50 triumph.
Quite possibly the most significant game in Valley Christian’s
basketball history took place at Foothill College February 19.
Facing the Archbishop Riordan Crusaders for the WCAL championship
was the farthest any VC team had ever gotten in WCAL competition.
The game proved thrilling. Despite trailing throughout the first
half and early into the second, the Warriors were able to erase
the deficit behind sophomore Andrew Daou’s 14 points and
Cotton’s aggressive play (slam dunk and a sensational block).
Two clutch free throws by Worthy gave Valley the WCAL title over
Riordan, 44-41.
By winning the WCAL, Valley received a number one seed in CCS
for Division Four. After a first-round bye, the Warriors took
on Carmel High School. Battling through a sloppy first half, the
team settled down to win easily, 64-38, finished off by a pair
of threes from junior Dante Perez. Looking for another win to
continue their run, Valley played Menlo School next. Providing
nearly an identical outcome, VC won again, 62-38, advancing to
the CCS Div. IV title game against 2nd-seeded Pacific Grove.
Not looking ahead to NorCal playoffs, the varsity squad remained
focused on another Div. IV crown. A spectacular display of athleticism
and WCAL fierceness was too much for the Pacific Grove Breakers,
and they broke. Lee continued his dominance in the post, scoring
17 points and hauling in 7 boards. Worthy’s all-around game
was impressive, scoring 12 points, dished out 7 assists, chasing
down 6 rebounds, and swiped 4 steals. Senior “White Mike”
Cussary scored 8 points in 2 minutes of action.
Knowing that none of their remaining games would be easy, the
Warriors hosted Ripon in the NorCal opening round in front of
a packed house. Reminded that this could be his last game in high
school, Jerry Cotton certainly came out inspired. Leading the
way with a game-high 21 points, Cotton was able to control the
offensive boards for easy put-backs. The close game went back
and forth before junior Bryan North fed junior über-athlete
Brandon Holland for a three-point play to give the Warriors the
lead for good. Cotton’s slam-dunk on a pass from Worthy
off a steal helped finish off the win and send the home crowd
in an uproar. Valley’s 57-50 win sent them to Round 2 of
the NorCal playoffs. North was a force on the defensive end, and
was nicknamed the “sparkplug” by the San Jose Mercury
News.
St. Mary’s came into the NorCal semifinals actually ranked
ahead of the Warriors in the state, but seeded lower than them
in the NorCal tournament. Led by Gonzaga-bound Larry Gurganious
St. Mary’s managed to overcome an early deficit and defeat
VC 70-56. Lee led the way with 16 points for the Warriors in his
final high school game.
By advancing farther than anybody could’ve imagined this
year, the boys varsity squad achieved the credibility they have
been striving for all year long. Next year, the team brings back
Worthy, Perez, Holland, North, Daou, and junior Chris Korbel in
what hopes to be an exciting year. Congratulations to the coaching
staff of Steve Cotton, Dan Meester, and Forrest Coffman for their
success, and to seniors Jerry Cotton, Lee, Bradford, Cussary,
Chris Rolen, and Vic Mignea for a record-setting 4 years. Thanks
guys, for making this writer’s season worthwhile. You did
great!
