Golden Valley boys' basketball stands atop Foothill
By Alonso Tacanga Special to the Daily News
Updated: 01/29/2010 11:36:34 PM PST
BOYS' BASKETBALL: Turnover as time expires seals Canyon's fate in league contest.
SANTA CLARITA -- Golden Valley had opened up the door just a crack yet again for Canyon to sneak in and pull off a stunner.
Leading by two with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, Taylor Statham had just missed two free throws and Wesley Bartole grabbed the rebound and charged ahead.
But in what had been a wire-to-wire, big-play-after-big-play Foothill League game for first place, Bartole did the unthinkable: He dribbled the ball off his leg.
Time expired, signaling an 80-78 victory for host Golden Valley on Friday night.
"I wanted to win it for my team, and I choked," Bartole said choking up tears.
Bartole scored 21 points -- including a layup in the final minute of regulation to tie the score at 64-64 and force overtime -- to lead the Cowboys (15-7, 4-2), who came back time after time after every occasion they seemed to be done.
Golden Valley (19-4, 5-1) took the lead for good 69-67 on a layup by Robert Looper midway through the extra period and extended it to 74-69 with just over a minute to go.
But just like they had been all night long, back came the Cowboys. Coley Apsey's 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go brought them within 78-76.
"We showed that we wanted that game more than anything," said Canyon coach Chad Phillips, who had to burn three timeouts five minutes into the game after Golden Valley scored the first 11 points.
With the early struggle just a faint memory, Bartole was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 5.5 seconds to go and made two of three free throws to draw his team within what turned out to be the final score. Following Statham's misses at the line and the game-ending turnover, Bartole and the Cowboys stood around, faces full of pain.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, celebrated like they had just won the league title. It sure felt that way.
"It was one of those games in which it was just too bad somebody had to lose," Golden Valley coach Chris Printz said.
Said Phillips: "In that situation, I'd put the ball in Welsey's hands again. (But) no one won a title tonight."
The frantic finish overshadowed great individual performances all around: In addition to Bartole, Apsey had 20 points.
Golden Valley guard Trevor Wiseman scored 28 points.
"It was intense," Wiseman said. "But we're No. 1 right now and it feels great."
Updated: 01/29/2010 11:36:34 PM PST
BOYS' BASKETBALL: Turnover as time expires seals Canyon's fate in league contest.
SANTA CLARITA -- Golden Valley had opened up the door just a crack yet again for Canyon to sneak in and pull off a stunner.
Leading by two with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, Taylor Statham had just missed two free throws and Wesley Bartole grabbed the rebound and charged ahead.
But in what had been a wire-to-wire, big-play-after-big-play Foothill League game for first place, Bartole did the unthinkable: He dribbled the ball off his leg.
Time expired, signaling an 80-78 victory for host Golden Valley on Friday night.
"I wanted to win it for my team, and I choked," Bartole said choking up tears.
Bartole scored 21 points -- including a layup in the final minute of regulation to tie the score at 64-64 and force overtime -- to lead the Cowboys (15-7, 4-2), who came back time after time after every occasion they seemed to be done.
Golden Valley (19-4, 5-1) took the lead for good 69-67 on a layup by Robert Looper midway through the extra period and extended it to 74-69 with just over a minute to go.
But just like they had been all night long, back came the Cowboys. Coley Apsey's 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go brought them within 78-76.
"We showed that we wanted that game more than anything," said Canyon coach Chad Phillips, who had to burn three timeouts five minutes into the game after Golden Valley scored the first 11 points.
With the early struggle just a faint memory, Bartole was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 5.5 seconds to go and made two of three free throws to draw his team within what turned out to be the final score. Following Statham's misses at the line and the game-ending turnover, Bartole and the Cowboys stood around, faces full of pain.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, celebrated like they had just won the league title. It sure felt that way.
"It was one of those games in which it was just too bad somebody had to lose," Golden Valley coach Chris Printz said.
Said Phillips: "In that situation, I'd put the ball in Welsey's hands again. (But) no one won a title tonight."
The frantic finish overshadowed great individual performances all around: In addition to Bartole, Apsey had 20 points.
Golden Valley guard Trevor Wiseman scored 28 points.
"It was intense," Wiseman said. "But we're No. 1 right now and it feels great."