Jaguars gain momentum with two big basketball wins

AJ Broomell fights off a San Dieguito defender. (photos by Ray Flores)

With a pair of convincing wins in league play this week, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team is firing on all cylinders and gaining momentum for a playoff run.
The Jaguars lost four in a row to start 2011, but have won their last three with outstanding play on both offense and defense.
This week started last Tuesday with a home game against San Dieguito Academy, and the Jags put the hammer down early in the game en route to a 53–37 win.
Valley Center’s defense stifled San Dieguito in the first quarter, and the Jaguars drained basket after basket to take a seven-point lead after the opening period. The Mustangs responded with a good offensive effort in the second quarter to score 14 points, but the Jags still managed to score 11 and kept a four-point advantage at the break.
The Jaguars didn’t afford San Dieguito any opportunity for a comeback in the second half, as they held the Mustangs to just eight points in each of the final two quarters while racking up 27 points in the half to cruise to the easy win.
Stehly Reden continued his excellent season with 23 points to lead all scorers, while AJ Broomell added 14 points, Mike McInerny scored eight, and James Siva and Robby Tortes each had four.
The Jaguars fell behind early at home against Orange Glen on Friday night, but came back for a monster second half to take a 65–44 win.
In a packed house against the rival Patriots, Valley Center couldn’t get the offense going in the first half and stumbled to a 17–8 deficit through the opening quarter. The Jags came to life with a solid second quarter, as Broomell connected on a trio of three-pointers to total ten points in the period to bring his team back to within three points at halftime. The Patriots focused on containing Reden early on, and the big center could only sink one basket before halftime.
But the second half was a completely different story, as the Jaguars exploded for 22 points in the third quarter, while holding Orange Glen to just eight points, to jump out to an 11-point lead heading into the final period. The Jags concentrated on moving the ball around and taking advantage of the fast break, and the strategy led to four different players scoring at least four points in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Reden took over the game and racked up nine points, as the Jags outscored the Patriots 19–9 to put the game away.
Reden finished with a game-high 19 points, while Broomell scored 17, Siva had 11, John Broomell had six, Tortes had five, Beau Reilly had four and Dan Henderson had three.
Valley Center is now 12–8 overall and 3–1 in league play. Up next is a home game against Canyon Crest on Friday night at 7 p.m.