Pasadena Teaches Valley a Lesson, 76-57

Virgil Watson played basketball for George Terzian at Pasadena High. When Terzian left to coach at Pasadena City College, Watson was his assistant for a year. After the 1979-80 season, Watson and Terzian went their separate ways.

Friday night, they hooked up again, this time as opponents. And Watson, now the head basketball coach at Valley, watched his former coach lead the Pasadena Lancers to a 76-57 victory over his Monarchs.

Terzian was thrilled to show Watson that coaching is not elementary.

“It was the first time I have ever coached against one of my old players,” Terzian said. “I was really happy to beat him.”

Said Watson: “This was only chance number one to beat him. It was also his first chance to beat me. There will be other chances.”

Watson won’t have long to wait. Both teams will compete next week in the Crown City Classic Basketball Tournament at Pasadena College. Valley (5-6) is scheduled to play Moorpark in the first round Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Monarchs will have some things to think about, such as blowing leads and committing fouls. Valley had four players with three fouls each and trailed, 34-31, at the half.

“It hurts a lot when your four guys on the front line have that many fouls at halftime,” Watson said. “I knew when the late part of the game came around, our guys would be taking turns fouling out of the game.”

Only two Valley players fouled out, but the vulnerability factor had Watson squirming on the bench, especially with his team playing an intense, no-holds-barred defense. The Monarchs’ defense came up with 17 steals and center Mario Lopez blocked seven shots.

“You saw how aggressive we were tonight,” Watson said. “Well, we just played against Compton this week and the refs were letting us play. Then we come in here and the refs are calling a really tight game.”

Tight was also a good word to describe the score in the first half. Neither team held more than a five-point lead before the break. But with Monarch starters on the bench, the Lancers were able to pull away in the second half, outscoring Valley, 42-26.

“I think the guys see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Watson said. “Our guys are able to say, ‘Hey, they were a better team and we got beat, but we are coming into our own now and we will have better days.’ ”

“We are going to work a little more on the positive aspects of our game. So far this season we have been teaching these guys to be better individual players. Now we’ve got to take these individual players and teach them to be a better team.”

Pasadena is 6-4.

Valley 31 26--57

Pasadena City 34 42--76

VALLEY--Goodrich 9; Lopez 11; Fontenette 6; Wright 7; Harden 5; Lewis 9; Shane 4; Andrews 2; Windham 4; .

PASADENA CITY--Clark 16; Wood 14; Love 2; Osborne 8; Conaway 12; White 12; Davis 12; Wallace 2; Scott 4; Campbell 1.