VALLEY ROUNDUP : Taft Squeaks by Banning in Overtime

Taft High’s Ricky Steele buried two free throws with one second remaining in double overtime to lift the Toreadors to a 70-68 non-league victory Monday over visiting Banning.

It was the first victory of the season for Taft (1-4), which finished 18-5 last season.

Steele was fouled while grabbing a defensive rebound with one second remaining in the second overtime period. His first free throw gave Taft its first lead of the game, 69-68. Steele finished with 11 points.

Banning stalled for the last shots in regulation and the first overtime period, but missed on both at the buzzers.

Taft’s Johnnie Williams scored 15 points, followed by Montoya Washington with 14. Jesse Bell added 13.

In other boys’ basketball games:

Leuzinger 61, St. Genevieve 60--The Valiants overcame a 20-point deficit in the third quarter but Leuzinger’s Wendell Robinson hit a follow-up jumper with three seconds left to lift the Olympians (3-1) to a first-round victory in the El Segundo tournament.

St. Genevieve’s Jeremy Iaccino scored 24 points, followed by Ryan McGinnis with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

Royal 71, Buena 48--Eric Carlsen scored 15 points to lead the Royal rout of Buena in a first-round game of the Beverly Hills tournament.

Glendale 71, Crespi 65--Senior David Sofro scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Dynamiters (2-2) to a first-round victory in the Beverly Hills tournament at Beverly Hills High.

Sofro scored 12 of his points in a third quarter in which Glendale outscored the Celts 23-7. Crespi (1-3) led 40-33 at halftime.

Glendale’s Hai Tran scored 18 points and dished out 9 assists.

Glendale will play the winner of Monday night’s Westlake-Beverly Hills game. Crespi will play the loser.

Villanova Prep 66, Happy Valley 59--The Wildcats won a Condor League game despite making only three of 27 shots from three-point range and playing without two of their top scorers. Villanova Prep also watched Happy Valley senior Tolga Unsel score 41 points.

Sophomore point guard Nick Wilson scored 18 points and dished out seven assists to lead Villanova Prep (3-2, 1-1 in the league). Happy Valley (4-1, 0-1) dropped its first game of the season.

Holy Martyrs 77, Manoogian 68--Sophomore guard Johnnie Panjarian scored 18 points and Sako Ballian added 16 for the Armens (3-2) in a nonleague game.

Kilpatrick 53, Rolling Hills Prep 42--The Mustangs (1-2) trailed by six at the half, but came out with a full-court press that keyed a 19-5 run in the third quarter. Eric Armstrong scored six of his 14 points and Corey Johnson scored six of his 17 in the decisive third quarter.