ORANGE LEAGUE BOYS’ BASKETBALL : Valencia Beats Magnolia, but Both Teams Earn Share of Title

A wide grin creased the face of Valencia first-year Coach Dean Yoshimura as the buzzer sounded Friday night.

The host Tigers defeated first-place Magnolia, 42-40, in the teams’ regular-season finale, providing Valencia with a share of the league title and fulfilling a promise Yoshimura made to his charges when he rolled out the balls in October.

“I don’t want to make his sound egotistical, but I told these kids a long time ago they would be in this position,” Yoshimura said. “This is what I’m here for . . . that’s what these kids are here for.

“We didn’t play (the season) to come in second.”

The Tigers, however, did finish second in a sense.

A coin flip by the schools’ athletic directors after the game determined Magnolia (18-7, 8-2 in league play), the defending league champion, enters the Southern Section playoffs as the league’s top-seeded team. Valencia is 14-10, 8-2.

The championship is the third for Valencia in 60 years and the first since 1987. The Tigers also won a title in 1959.

The Sentinels played without standout swingman Frank Henderson, the team’s leading scorer. Coach Al Walin said Henderson was serving a one-game suspension for disciplinary reasons.

He was missed.

“I’m not taking anything away from them; (Valencia) played a great game, but things might have been different under normal circumstances,” Walin said. “Maybe they wouldn’t, but Henderson is a big-time player. I know I don’t want to play without him next week.”

Forward Jermaine Gray had 12 points and eight rebounds in helping the Tigers avenge a 54-49 loss to the Sentinels on Jan. 21. Guard Max Zamora contributed 11, including a key basket on an offensive rebound that gave the Tigers a 38-35 lead with 3 minutes 2 seconds remaining in the game.

Guard La Shaun Neal led Magnolia with 16 points and center Brandon Hearvey had 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

Valencia begins play in the Division II-A playoffs next week. The Sentinels are in Division III-AA.

In other Orange League games:

Savanna 90, Anaheim 60--Jermaine Moore scored 21 points and Malcolm Dougan added 17 for Savanna (13-11, 7-3), which finished third in league play.

Frank Castillo scored 23 for Anaheim (7-17, 3-7).

Brea-Olinda 46, Western 40--Wayne Spurlock scored 13 for Brea-Olinda. Teammate Matt Bodiford added 10. Brea-Olinda finishes 6-19, 2-8. Paul Lindemeyer scored 13 for Western (11-14, 2-8).