Jaguars move closer to league title with key basketball win

In a close game from start to finish, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team moved one step closer to a Valley League championship with a 45–40 win over Canyon Crest at home on Friday.
The Jaguars battled hard throughout the tight game and made clutch free throws down the stretch to pull one win closer to a league title with four games remaining.
The team also honored its outgoing seniors, AJ Broomell, Beau Reilly, Stehly Reden and Robby Tortes, with a special ceremony before the game.
Once the game tipped off, the Jags’ main focus was on Canyon Crest’s six-foot-ten center Cory Osetkowski, who scored 13 points in the first half but was limited to just six points after halftime. Valley Center centers Reden and Tortes played a physical game underneath the basket, limiting Osetkowski’s ability to find an open shot and forcing the ball outside.
Early in the game, both teams played conservatively, moving the ball around and feeling out the opposing defense. The teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the opening period, with Broomell racking up eight points for the Jags, and a late basket by Tortes gave the Jaguars a 12–11 lead after the first quarter.
Canyon Crest stuck with its game plan in the second quarter by feeding the ball down low to Osetkowski, who scored six points in the quarter. But the Ravens also got a boost from its outside shooters, who hit a pair of three-pointers to help put Canyon Crest ahead 24–22 at halftime.
Valley Center made some tactical adjustments in the third quarter, getting more physical on defense and spreading the ball around on offense. Broomell scored five to help the Jaguars re-take the lead, 36–33, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Jags extended the lead to ten early in the fourth quarter, thanks to five consecutive points from Broomell. Canyon Crest pulled back to within five as the game wound down, but had to resort to fouling the Jaguars to preserve any shot at a comeback. Despite struggling from the line through most of the game, the Jags converted key free throws on two different trips to the line with under a minute to go to seal the narrow win.
Broomell led the Jaguars with 18 points in the game, while Reden added nine, Brett Henderson scored six, James Siva had five, Tortes had four, John Broomell had two and Reilly had one.
Valley Center is now 12–9 overall and 4–1 in league with the next game coming Friday night at San Dieguito at 7 p.m.