Lessons Come Hard Way for Valencia

The Valencia High boys’ basketball team learned a couple of tough lessons about basketball fundamentals in a 70-68 upset loss to W.F. West of Washington in the first round of the Hart tournament Friday night at Hart High.

First, the game lasts four quarters. Second, you have to make your free throws.

Maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the game, the Vikings (9-3) collapsed in the fourth quarter, when they were outscored, 28-13.

They shot eight of 21 from the free-throw line for the game, including five misses in five attempts in the final 40 seconds.

“That’s going to kill you,” Valencia Coach Gary Spindt said of the missed free throws. “We aren’t real good free-throw shooters on the whole. That’s something we need to work on.”

Spindt said his team is shooting 62% from the line for the season, a figure he would have accepted graciously Friday night.

“If we shoot 62 percent tonight, we win,” he said.

Spindt was bothered most by his team’s lack of intensity.

“We were a step slow the whole game,” he said. “But there was no yelling or chewing out. We have to learn from this. If we learn from it, it’s fine. I’d rather have this happen now than when we get into league.”

The Bearcats (3-1) took their first lead of the game on two free throws by Justin Thompson that it 69-68 with 16 seconds to play.

Valencia guard Royce Minor, playing for the first time this season because of an ankle injury, missed two free throws with eight seconds left. Fabian Leon missed three attempts with less than a minute to play.

Canyon 91, Bell-Jeff 64--Five players scored in double figures for the Cowboys (6-6) while the Guards (6-4) only had five players score at all.

Mike Reardon had 21 points, Jerreme Suarez scored 15, Everett Bryson had 14, Alex Estevez had 13 and Justin Orefice scored 10. Four other Canyon players contributed to the Cowboys’ season-high offensive output.

Reardon, the team’s three-point specialist, did most of his damage from behind the arc. He made six of eight three-pointers and was seven for 10 from the field overall.

Bell-Jeff’s Ruben Douglas had 28 points and center Mike West had 21.

Simi Valley 83, Hollywood 45--Every player scored for the Pioneers (10-2), including Branduinn Fullove and Brett Michel, who had 16 points each in a first-round rout over the winless Shieks (0-7).

Rafael Berumen, Ian Boys and Kurt Mjoen added 11 points each for Simi Valley, which will play Canyon today at 3:30 p.m.

Cleveland 83, Sanger 48--The Cavaliers (9-3) scored the first 10 points inside of 70 seconds and never let up against Sanger (4-6), a Fresno-area team.

The Cavaliers applied pressure in every phase of the game, but none as glaring as in the rebounding. Cleveland out-rebounded Sanger, 23-13, in the first half, converting 14 offensive rebounds into points.

Leading, 47-29, early in the third quarter, Cleveland went into a full-court press and forced 12 turnovers. The Cavaliers capitalized on nearly every turnover to form a 17-0 run for a 35-point lead.

Sylmar 75, Beverly Hills 56--With Coach Bort Escoto serving a state-mandated one-game suspension for receiving two technicals in the Spartans’ previous game, Sylmar didn’t miss a beat against Beverly Hills (2-6).

The Spartans (4-4), paced by the sharp shooting of guard Brandon Jacobs--who had six three-pointers--led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter.

George Wrighster added 14 points, followed by Dallas Townsend with 11 and Dedrick Washington with 10. Jacobs finished with 22 points.

San Fernando 85, Glendale 53--All five Tiger starters scored in double figures in a rout against outmanned Glendale.

Senior guard Luis De la Rosa led the charge with 16 points, followed by Devin Montgomery with 14, Tyrone Purnell and Mike Page with 13 and Reggie Kinlaw with 12.

Glendale’s Ronald Baghomian scored 10 of his 23 points in the first quarter, but his efforts alone proved futile against San Fernando, which led, 46-28, at intermission.

Royal 61, Murphy 46--The Highlanders (5-5) took control early and never lost the lead after a 14-10 first-quarter advantage.

Dusty Cruz scored 19 points and Cam Dickson added 13 for Royal.

The Highlanders extended their nine-point halftime lead paced by Cruz and Dickson’s combined 19 points.

Hart 65, West Bakersfield 60--David Neill scored six of his eight points in the fourth quarter and J.T. Stotts made seven of eight free throws in the final period and the Indians (6-5) held off the Vikings (6-4).

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Staff writer Paige A. Leech contributed to this story.