SG Jerome Lowe had 23 pts and SF Joel Spriggs had 16 as LA Valley likely earned a playoff berth with a 76-67 win over Santa Monica in WSC-South action Saturday night in Valley Glen.
The win improves Valley's overall record to 13-13, and more importantly improves its WSC-South record to 6-6, good for at least a share of 3rd place in the tough, 7-team division.
Valley started the game on a 5-0 spurt and pushed its lead to 11 points at 25-14 with 7:21 left in the first half. The Monarchs still had a ten-point lead at 27-17 until Santa Monica (12-15, 4-8) finished the half on a 10-0 run, tying the game on a driving lay-up by SG Rodney Hudson with about 15 seconds left in the half.
Santa Monica continued its run early in the second half with baskets by PF Matt Sinclair and PG Eric Bell, pushing its lead to four at 31-27. Valley answered with a 6-0 spurt to reclaim the lead when Lowe scored on a lay-up after a steal to make it 33-31. A pair of free throws by Lowe after a technical foul on Santa Monica Ctr Bryant Crowder gave Valley a 40-36 lead with 14:39 left.
Then things started to turn in favor of Santa Monica as Valley's 6-10 Ctr Pierre Prince picked up his 4th foul with 14:12 left. PF Chris Lenik was already on the bench with 4 fouls as well. PG Charlie Oriel made the two free throws on Prince's foul and then Hudson hit a 3-pointer to give the Corsairs a 41-40 lead.
Lowe responded with a 3-pointer to put Valley back in front, 43-41, and the Monarchs briefly stretched the lead to sixn points at 47-41, though Santa Monica rallied to tie it again at 47.
It was tied again at 51 when Lenik, back on the floor despite the foul trouble, hit a 3-pointer with 7:30 left to put Valley back in front. Two free throws by PG Robert Brown and a baseline jumper by Lowe made it 58-51, and then Brown drove through the middle of the SMC defense for a lay-up, drew the foul and completed the 3-point play to make it 61-51 with 4:43 left.
Santa Monica cut the deficit to five points when PG Johnell Young scored on driving lay-ups on consecutive trips down the floor to make it 66-61. Valley got a 3-point play from Spriggs on a reverse lay-up and the and-one free throw, but Young hit a 3-pointer for Santa Monica to make it 69-64 with 1:15 left.
But then Valley scored the game's next six points to secure the win. Lowe made two free throws with 1:03 left to make it 71-64. Then after Lenik intercepted a pass, Lowe was fouled and made two more free throws to make it 73-64 with 47.9 seconds left. After a timeout, SMC turned the ball over on the inbounds play, and on the restart Brown was fouled and made two more free throws to make it 75-64 with 38.2 seconds left and clinch the victory for Valley.
Lowe finished with a game-high 23 pts and 9 rebs, taking full advantage of the free throw line where he went 13 for 16. Spriggs had 16 pts plus 5 rebs and 3 asts. Brown had 10 pts and 4 asts, and Lenik had 10 pts and 4 rebs. Another key performer for Valley was Ctr Cornell Lee, who was pressed into service when Prince and Lenik battled foul trouble but played well on defense and finished with 5 pts and 8 rebs.
For Santa Monica, Crowder had 17 pts plus 9 rebs and 3 blocks, and Young had 17 pts, 16 in the second half, and a team-high 3 asts. Sinclair had 16 pts and 6 rebs, and Hudson had 13 pts and 4 steals.
Box Score
Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 5 pm
at the Monarch Sports Pavilion, Valley Glen
WSC-South
Santa Monica Corsairs 67:
5-Rodney Hudson, SG - 4/9 fg, 4/8 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 4 pf, 13 pts
15-Rue Critchfield, SF - 0/6 fg, 0/1 ft, 5 reb, 1 stl, 0 pts
23-DeShawn Stephens, C - 0/3 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
32-Eric Bell, PG - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 2 pts
42-Matt Sinclair, PF - 6/16 fg, 4/4 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 16 pts
11-Bryant Crowder, C - 6/13 fg, 5/7 ft, 9 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 17 pts
33-Kris Mehdipour, F - 1 blk, 2 pf, 0 pts
12-Charlie Oriel, G - 0/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
14-Johnell Young, G - 6/11 fg, 3/6 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 17 pts
34-Tyrell Chandler, F - 0/1 fg, 2 pf, 0 pts
44-Axel Messager, C - 0 pts
3-Justin Barnwell, G - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 8
Totals: 23/69 fg (.333), 18/28 ft (.636), 41 reb, 8 ast, 7 blk, 10 stl, 26 pf, 67 pts
3-pt fg (3): Young 2, Hudson
Technical Foul: Crowder
Turnovers (17): Sinclair 5, Hudson 3, Bell 3, Young 2, Stephens, Crowder, Chandler, Barnwell
LA Valley Monarchs 76:
3-Robert Brown, PG - 2/2 fg, 6/6 ft, 4 ast, 2 stl, 10 pts
10-Joel Spriggs, SF - 7/13 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 16 pts
22-Jerome Lowe, SG - 4/12 fg, 13/16 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 23 pts
32-Pierre Prince, C - 2/3 fg, 1/3 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 5 pf, 5 pts
35-Chris Lenik, PF - 4/7 fg, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 10 pts
21-Javion Garner, F - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 2 pts
31-Andrey Orlov, F - 1/5 fg, 0/2 ft, 2 reb, 3 pf, 2 pts
12-Darius Hooks, G - 1/3 fg, 1/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 3 pts
44-Cornell Lee, C - 2/5 fg, 1/4 ft, 8 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 24/53 fg (.453), 24/34 ft (.706), 42 reb, 16 ast, 6 blk, 7 stl, 22 pf, 76 pts
3-pt fg (4): Lowe 2, Lenik 2
Fouled Out: Prince 4:27 left
Turnovers (25): Brown 7, Orlov 5, Spriggs 3, Lenik 3, Garner 3, Lowe 2, Hooks, team
Halftime Score: Tied at 27
Updated Records: LA Valley 13-13 overall, 6-6 in WSC-South; Santa Monica 12-15 overall, 4-8 in WSC-South
Valley led by 11 in 1st half but SMC finished the half on a 10-0 run
SMC led by 4 early in 2nd half and it was still tied at 51 with 8 minutes left
Valley went on a 10-0 run to lead 61-51 and led the rest of the way
