Little Push Gives Title to Monroe

The smallest player on the floor came up with the biggest basket Friday night.

Eight seconds after John Valdez of Sylmar High made a dramatic game-tying three-point basket, Robert Palafox of Monroe drove for a layup to give the Vikings a 65-63 victory and the Valley Mission League title at Sylmar.

“There was only two guys in front of me and I knew I was faster than them,” said Palafox, a 5-foot-7 senior point guard. “So I just went [to the basket].”

Valdez’s three-pointer with 10 seconds left prompted a roar from Sylmar fans and the bench, and the game appeared headed for overtime.

But Monroe (19-6, 9-1 in league play), which was out of timeouts, quickly inbounded the ball, catching the celebrating Spartans a bit off-guard.

When Palafox received the pass near the sideline at midcourt, two Spartans scrambled to trap him. But Palafox, who finished with 17 points and 10 steals, dribbled out of trouble and into an empty lane for the layup.

Sylmar called a timeout with two seconds left to set up a play, but Valdez’s shot from beyond midcourt was more than five feet short. Valdez finished with 17 points.

Although Palafox came up with the decisive basket, it was teammate Ramall Goodrich who had the hot hand.

Goodrich, a 5-11 junior guard, made 13 of 18 shots and finished with 30 points.

“Ramall is a tremendous athlete,” Coach Don Loperena said. “We always want him to take the ball to the rack and he was finishing [Friday night].”

Sylmar was forced to play catch-up in the second half after behind outscored, 26-8, and making 12 turnovers in the second quarter.

Sylmar (12-11, 8-2) jumped to an 11-0 lead in the first 4:30 and led, 20-8, after the first quarter.

But Monroe, which forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, turned up the heat in the second.

“After that rough first quarter, we told them get your nerves taken care of with your defense,” Loperena said.

Fueled by a thieving, trapping defense, Monroe converted time and again off turnovers in a 15-0 run and claimed its first lead, 25-24, on two free throws by Palafox.

“We got rattled,” Coach Bort Escoto of Sylmar said. “We just weren’t being strong with the ball. They were just taking it away from us.”

The lead changed hands twice more in final 1:40 of the first half before Monroe closed with a 5-0 run for a 34-28 lead.

Monroe led by 11 points in the third quarter, but Sylmar scratched its way back into the game with rebounds and three-pointers.

Alfredo Tovar’s layup with 1:50 remaining gave Sylmar a 60-59 lead and capped a 10-0 run.

But Goodrich buried a three-pointer from the top of the key and Palafox added a free throw for a 63-60 lead with 40 seconds left.