Jaguars win, lose in two very different basketball games

AJ Broomell dribbles down the court:
Broomell drives to the hoop:
Dan Henderson looks to pass:
Henderson puts up a shot in traffic:
Mike McInerny brings the ball up the floor:
McInerny gets past his defender:
McInerny goes for the reverse layup:
McInerny sends this pass in to Broomell:
McInerny takes the pass:
McInerny drives to the hoop:
Beau Reilly fights through a double team:
James Siva launches a deep shot:
Siva drives hard to get around his defender:
Siva grabs the loose ball:
The Jaguar defense closes in on the shooter:
photos by Ray Flores

It was a tale of two games for the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team this week, as the Jaguars experienced the best of times with a big win over Imperial on Wednesday, then suffered the worst of times without center Stehly Reden in a tough loss against Escondido on Friday.
The Jags looked unstoppable early on and kept the pressure on late in the game to take a 71–59 win over Imperial on Wednesday.
Throughout the game, the Jaguars relied on getting the ball to Reden on the low post, and the strategy paid off. The big center scored ten of Valley Center’s 24 points in the first quarter to give the Jaguars a 13-point lead and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Reden dominated the second quarter, scoring all but two of the Jags’ 14 points in the period and leading Valley Center to a 15-point lead at halftime.
The Jaguars added 15 more points in the third quarter, but Imperial bounced back with 16 to cut the lead to 14. Reden scored six points in the period, while AJ Broomell also stepped up with six points to keep the Jags well out in front.
Imperial had its biggest quarter in the fourth, scoring 20 points, but the Jaguars played patient basketball and hit their free throws down the stretch, scoring 18 in the final period to seal the win.
Reden scored seven more in the final quarter to total 35 points in the game, while Broomell scored 17, Beau Reilly had eight, Robby Tortes had five, and Dan Henderson, John Broomell and Mike McInerny each scored two.
But with Reden gone to Utah for a college visit, Friday’s home game against Escondido played out much differently for the Jaguars, as they suffered a 55–43 loss to the Cougars.
The Jags were able to hang with Escondido early in the game, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, but trailed by four after the opening period. The Cougars clamped down on defense in the second quarter, holding the Jags to only eight points while building a ten-point lead at halftime.
The Jaguars bounced back with 12 points in the third, while holding Escondido to only six, cutting the lead back down to four heading into the fourth quarter.
But the Cougars came together to scored 20 points in the final period to seal the 12-point win.
AJ Broomell led the Jaguars with 13 points, while James Siva added 12, Reilly had ten, McInerny had four and both Tortes and John Broomell had two.
Valley Center is now 7–7 overall, with the next game coming on Tuesday at Canyon Crest at 7 p.m.