Van Nuys Clinches Tie for Mid-Valley Championship

About this time last year, Van Nuys High Coach Ken Lee was hoping for the Wolves’ third win of the season.

Lee, then in his first year, never got that third victory, but the Wolves’ 68-62 victory over Monroe Friday night at Van Nuys illustrates how far the team has come.

Van Nuys (11-10, 7-3 in league play) clinched a share of the Mid-Valley League championship and can win it outright if the Wolves defeat second-place North Hollywood (11-11, 6-4) on Tuesday in the league finale.

Van Nuys was 2-19 last season, 1-9 in league play.

“These are the same guys as last year,” Lee said. “They worked really hard.”

If Monroe (12-11, 4-6) could have stopped the Wolves’ Michael Crawford, the Vikings might still be in the hunt for a second-place finish and a playoff berth.

But Crawford was nailing baskets both inside and outside to account for his game-high 28 points.

The 6-foot senior had scored 20 by halftime, including 14 points in the second quarter.

“I had the stroke,” Crawford said.

Indeed. And he really started to use it just as Monroe pulled out to a 28-15 lead midway through the second quarter.

Crawford’s 10 points in the final three minutes of the second quarter sparked an 18-6 Van Nuys run, allowing the Wolves to close to 34-33 at halftime.

The lead changed hands several times in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but Crawford’s 18-foot jump shot from the wing gave the Wolves a 43-38 lead they would not relinquish.

Tim Lewis hit a short jump shot, was fouled and went to the line to convert the three-point play, giving Van Nuys its biggest lead, 58-47, with 6 minutes 15 seconds left.

Monroe’s Lodis Woodmore made two free throws with 4:11 left to cut the Wolves’ lead to 61-56. But then Monroe got sloppy, either forcing a pass or a shot on its next four trips down court.

Crawford hit the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Wolves a 66-58 advantage with one minute to play. The Wolves hit nine of 14 free throws in the final minutes to keep Monroe at bay.

Ronald Falls scored a team-high 19 points for the Vikings, followed by Elmer Singh with 17 and Stanley Deal with 13.