Seeking Hart-Stopper, Valencia Gets Heartburn

The region’s second-longest league winning streak was teetering on the brink of extinction Friday night.

But Hart High used two late baskets and two free throws to survive with a 42-37 Foothill League girls’ basketball victory over Valencia.

The Indians, have won 44 consecutive league games and 67 of 68 dating to 1995.

Buena leads the region with 63 consecutive Channel League victories.

Valencia (10-12, 2-4 in league play) led, 37-36, when Valerie Pina hit a 10-foot off-balance jumper with 1:15 left, but Briana Kentfield of Hart answered with a layup and Tiana Jameson added a rebound basket after a missed free throw for a 40-37 lead.

Renee Reyna’s two free throws with 15 seconds left sealed it.

“That time, I could taste it,” Coach Greg Hayes of Valencia said of the upset bid.

Instead, the Vikings were left with their second bitter defeat to the Indians.

Hart (12-8, 6-0) finished with a 16-2 run to claim a 51-39 victory over the Vikings on Jan. 8.

This time, junior forward Megan Honaker scored 11 of her 20 points in the third quarter to help Valencia trim the Indians’ 18-9 halftime lead to 34-32 entering the fourth quarter.

Honaker’s three-point basket with 2:52 left in the game gave the Vikings their first lead, 35-34.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” said forward Tiana Jameson of Hart. “We shouldn’t have let them get that close.”

The Indians led, 23-12, before the Vikings climbed off the floor and got back into the game.

Kentfield, an All-Valley selection by The Times as a junior, finished with 10 points. Reyna scored nine points, Christina Sanchez had eight points and Kyli Hourigan added seven.

Pina scored 10 points for the Vikings, who were missing point guard Emilie Dearborn, out for the season with a knee injury, and forward Katie Burbank, who broke a bone in her left hand during practice this week.

The Indians can hardly breathe easy. On Tuesday, they travel to second-place Canyon.

“When you’ve got a streak going, people want to be the ones to end it,” said Hart Coach Dave Munroe, whose team can claim a share of its seventh consecutive Foothill League championship with a victory at Canyon.

“You can’t take it for granted. You have to go out and get it.”