MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A FOOTHILL

One team is in its third year of varsity competition.

Another averaged two wins in league over the previous three seasons.

The third finished last in a six-team league during the regular season and was lucky to qualify for postseason play with an at-large berth.

Yet the Valencia, Burroughs and Canyon High boys’ basketball teams have brought some newfound respect to the Foothill League by advancing to tonight’s quarterfinal round of the Southern Section playoffs.

The Foothill League, which is traditionally known for its prowess in sports such as football and baseball, is the only league in the section that still has three teams left in the Division I or II playoffs.

That is a surprising development to many, but not to coaches Gary Spindt of Valencia, Art Sullivan of Burroughs and David Humphreys of Canyon.

“There is a talent level [in the league] that is better than it’s been in the past,” Spindt said. “We had a very, very competitive league this season. Each game was a dogfight. There were no easy wins and I think the teams are benefiting from that in the playoffs.”

Sullivan agreed with Spindt and added that the league’s teams also toughened up by playing quality opponents before league play.

“When there are no gimmes on your schedule and there are no automatic wins in league, it helps,” Sullivan said.

Valencia (22-6) will play No. 1-seeded Glendora (27-1) in a Division I-A game at College of the Canyons at 7:30 tonight and Canyon (12-16) will play No. 2 Pacific (20-8) in another I-A contest at Hart.

Burroughs (19-9) will play Dos Pueblos (24-4) in a Division II-A game at Santa Barbara High.

All three Foothill League teams will be underdogs, but Spindt, Sullivan and Humphreys all figure they have a chance to win.

“I told the guys all year that if we got into the playoffs, good things could happen,” Humphreys said. “And I’m still telling them that. I keep telling them that no one thinks we should be here, but we are and we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Canyon might be the most surprising team left in the playoffs because the Cowboys finished sixth--and last--in league with a 2-8 record, six games back of first-place Hart, five behind second-place Valencia and four behind third-place Burroughs.

Although Canyon lost five league games by eight points or less, Humphreys regarded the Cowboys as a “very, very, very long shot” to make the playoffs as an at-large entry.

“I remember talking to the guys after the [final regular-season game against Burbank],” Humphreys said. “And I basically told them that I was happy with the effort they’d given, but that our season was over.”

But when the playoff pairings were announced three days later, Canyon was scheduled to play Mission League runner-up Loyola in a Division I-A opener.

The Cowboys upset the Cubs, 58-55, in that game and then stunned Hart, 60-59, on Tuesday after losing to the Indians by two points and eight points during the regular season.

“We couldn’t get over the hump at the end of games,” Humphreys said of Canyon’s league record. “But we’ve been able to do that in the playoffs.”

Improved shooting has been a big reason.

After hitting just 36% of its shots in league, Canyon is shooting 48% in the playoffs.

“They’ve been relaxed.” Humphreys said of his players. “And when you’re relaxed, you shoot better.”

Valencia’s spot in the Division I-A quarterfinals isn’t too surprising.

The Vikings, led by 6-foot-8 senior Jerrohn Jordan and 6-7 senior Fabian Leon, are regarded as the most athletic team in the Foothill League and they defeated Don Lugo, 81-50, and Santa Barbara, 56-51, in the playoffs.

The win over Don Lugo was Valencia’s first playoff victory in three years of existence at the varsity level and the win at Santa Barbara gave a huge boost to the Vikings’ confidence.

“[Tuesday] was a big, big step for us,” Spindt said. Burroughs, 6-24 in league play from ’94 to ‘97, appears to have the best chance of advancing to the semifinals.

The Indians, led by 6-2 senior Jeremy Cartee and 6-3 junior Kevin Krose, have won five consecutive games and eight of nine after losing their first three league games.

They defeated Temple City, 68-63, in the first round of the playoffs and beat No. 4-seeded and previously undefeated Paso Robles, 63-59, in the second.

Paso Robles (24-1) and No. 5-seeded Newbury Park (24-5) were expected to meet in the quarterfinals, but when Dos Pueblos upset Newbury Park, 48-47, it set the stage for tonight’s game in Santa Barbara.

“It’s my understanding that they’re a pretty good defensive team,” Sullivan said of Channel League champion Dos Pueblos. “But we play pretty good defense too, so I like our chances.”

Whether Valencia, Burroughs or Canyon win or lose tonight, they have improved the Foothill League’s reputation in their coaches eyes.

“I don’t think that we got the credit that we deserved,” Sullivan said. “But we’ve always talked among ourselves about how hard it is to win in this league.”