HART TOURNAMENT : Host’s Guards Make the Difference in 86-50 Win

Although the Hart High basketball team’s front line averages better than 6-foot-5, Coach Greg Herrick believes that the productivity of the guards is the best indicator of how well the team is playing.

“The guards are the Rodney Dangerfield of the team,” Herrick said. “Nobody respects them. If you want to know how the transition game is going, just look how many points Tony Valenzuela scored.”

Wednesday night in an 86-50 victory over Alemany in the first round of the Hart tournament, the transition game was operating at full tilt.

Valenzuela scored a game-high 23 points, connecting on 10 of 15 from the field, and Doug Rich handed out five assists.

“A lot depends upon our running game,” said Valenzuela, who made nine of 10 from two-point range. “We have to execute and things will fall into place.”

Valenzuela scored Hart’s first six points and had nine in the first period to help his team build a 21-9 lead.

Hart (6-5) held Alemany (4-6) scoreless for more than three minutes during a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter that extended its lead to 39-18.

Hart forward Marty Downen (19 points) and center Ali Peek (11) each blocked two shots.

Alemany’s Richard Dice and Will Burr, restricted by a triangle-and-two defense for much of the game, scored 13 and 11 points.

In other games:

Calabasas 88, Paraclete 59--Calabasas scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Greg Waugh of Calabasas led all scorers with 26.

Glendale 62, Beverly Hills 50--Jason Harper had 16 points and eight rebounds and Mike Wright had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Glendale.

San Fernando 42, Rio Mesa 40--Gerald Harris scored 19 points for San Fernando.

Saugus 86, Cabrillo 51--Greg Yumbar and Geoff Dains led Saugus (8-3) with 16 and 13 points.

Westlake 101, Hart JV 38--John Van Spyk led six Westlake players in double figures with 19.

Antelope Valley 58, St. Francis 52--Kyle Barrett led St. Francis with a game-high 19 points and Willie Montgomery led Antelope Valley with 15.

East Bakersfield 42, Palmdale 37--Palmdale limited its foe to two points in the third quarter but was outscored, 18-9, in the fourth.