Valley No Match for Canyons, Lose, 93-75

Valley College Coach Virgil Watson can take comfort in the fact that he will never have to lead his Monarchs up Mt. Everest. It’s not that his team wouldn’t follow, but, if they climbed it like they have Mountain Valley Conference this season, the Monarchs would probably slip and fall short of the summit.

Valley lost again, this time at College of the Canyons, 93-75, after coming so close, like it had in three previous conference games, to reaching a peak.

The Monarchs, who have lost in overtime to West L.A., Southwest and Trade Tech, came from 17 points back to get within three of the Cougars, Saturday, but lost its offensive footing and were run off the court.

“It’s definitely a long, hard climb,” Valley Coach Virgil Watson said.

It’s even harder when the best a team can do is keep from being tossed to the bottom of the conference standings. The Monarchs are 1-5 in conference play, beating only Antelope Valley.

Valley spent most of Saturday evening trailing the Cougars by more than 10 points. A surge in the late in the second half brought the Monarchs to within three. Kenny Shane, Erik Harden and John Windham each scored four points within six minutes and the Monarchs trailed, 70-67, with less than seven minutes to play. Canyons called a timeout, which proved worthwhile, and then went on a 15-point rampage and led, 85-67, with 2:35 remaining.

“You have to hand it to Valley,” Canyon Coach Lee Smelser said. “They kept coming back and coming back. They just don’t have the depth, I think, to keep up with a team like ours. They have taken three of the best teams around into overtime, so they’re not just spinning their wheels.”

The Cougars, however, were spinning some heads. Guard James Mixon scored a game-high 26 points, much like he has done all season. Mixon continues to hit swish after swish, regardless of what’s in front of him.