Valley College Basketball : Valley Supplies the Answers, 85-71

The Valley College basketball team resembles a walking and dribbling version of a popular game show.

The Monarchs supply the answers and their coach is left to ask all the questions.

The name of Valley’s game?

Concentration.

The Monarchs provided another version of their quiz show Monday night in the first round of the Valley tournament at Valley College. Valley easily defeated the other contestant, Trade Tech, 85-71, but the margin of victory wasn’t decided until the final 2 minutes.

One minute Valley led by as many as 7 and the next by only 1.

“We weren’t concentrating,” Valley Coach Jim Stephens said. “We would get a small lead and then there would be a breakdown on offense or defense. We never did break the game open.”

Stephens said his team took the day off from practice Sunday, which explains part of the problem.

But Valley, which improved to 7-5, has enough young talent to be competitive if it can overcome its streaky play.

Tory Stephens, the former San Fernando High standout, had a game-high 30 points, his best outing of the season. Stephens, a 6-1 guard, was able to drive past his smaller defender and made most of his shots inside the key.

“I’ve been in a big slump until tonight,” said Stephens, who is not related to the coach. “I wasn’t concentrating on how I shoot the ball. I would just shoot. I wasn’t using my legs.”

Trade Tech trailed, 75-71, with 1:33 left, but failed to score after missing 3 3-point attempts.

Stephens was the recipient of Trade Tech’s desperation fouls and scored 6 of Valley’s final 8 points, all on free throws.

Stephens picked up the offensive slack for Oral Elrington, who was ailing from a cold. Elrington had 18 points, 4 short of his average.

“He couldn’t get on track,” Jim Stephens said. “He made a few shots at the end of the first half, but that was it.”

Trade Tech tied the score, 34-34, before Elrington made 3 consecutive baskets late in the first half.

Andre Ball of Trade Tech made a shot inside the key at the buzzer to make the score 40-36. Trade Tech also made the first basket of the second half, but was unable to get closer than a bucket.

Ball and Jack Hamler each had 12 points to lead Trade Tech (3-7).

In other games, Salt Lake City, a semifinalist in last year’s national junior college tournament, defeated San Diego City, 126-111. Santa Barbara beat Cypress, 93-86.

Valley will play Allan Hancock, a 74-67 winner over Orange Coast, in the second round tonight at 8. The winner will play either Salt Lake City or Santa Barbara in Wednesday’s championship game.

Occidental 79, Menlo 75--Senior forward John Keister scored a game-high 28 points for Occidental and the Tigers held off a late Menlo rally in the nonconference game at Menlo.

The Tigers led, 40-32, at halftime, but had their lead cut to 2 with 4:32 left. Occidental held off the persistent Oaks in the closing minutes, however, behind Keister’s clutch free-throw shooting. Keister was 10 of 10 at the line to lead the Tigers, who sank 79% of their free throws and shot 56% from the field.

Chris Anderson added 18 points, 14 rebounds and had 10 blocked shots for Occidental (4-1). Tiger guard Ethan Caldwell scored 10 points.

WOMEN

Valley 96, Oxnard 40--Valley shot 53% from the field and used a pressing defense to jump out to a 50-19 halftime lead in the first-round game of the Riverside tournament. Center Ruth Aguilar led Valley (11-3) with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Aguilar, a sophomore, was 11 of 15 from the field.

Sophomore Shagarro Lattin had 14 points for the Monarchs and teammates Angie Smith and Tisa Rush added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Valley plays Pasadena in a second-round game at 5 p.m. today.

Cal State Sacramento 90, Cal Lutheran 75--Junior forward Heidi Griffith scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Cal Lutheran but the Regals shot only 43% from the field in the nonconference game at Sacramento.

Brenda Lee added 20 points and Leslie Stevens scored 10 for Cal Lutheran (2-5). The Regals were outrebounded, 45-32, and shot 62% from the free-throw line.

Celine Kabwasa led the Lady Hornets (8-2) with 16 points.