West Valley rallies to defeat CdM in Division III-A

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The West Valley boys’ basketball team finally made some baskets from the perimeter, and Stefan Galuz finally cooled off for Corona del Mar, allowing the Mustangs to rally for a 55-50 victory over the host Sea Kings in a Southern Section Division III-A boys’ basketball quarterfinal.

Corona del Mar, seeded fourth, took a 44-39 lead with five minutes remaining, but John Balwigaire hit West Valley’s first outside shot of the game, a three-pointer no less, and Eric Lawton hit another three-point shot two possessions later, giving the Mustangs a 47-45 lead they would not relinquish. They kept the Sea Kings at bay by making 10 of 12 free-throw attempts down the stretch.

Galuz, who scored 10 points in the first quarter and had 14 at the half, finished with 23 for the Sea Kings, but missed a couple of key shots when the Sea Kings really needed one in the late going.
Joseph Burton, the 6-foot-8, 285-pound forward for West Valley, finished with a team-high 17 points and 19 rebounds.

The fifth-seeded Mustangs lost to Corona del Mar in last season’s semifinals, so there was some added motivation to perform well.

That, and the Mustangs just wanted to stick it to the rich guys.

-- Dan Arritt