Jaguars win in first round of CIF basketball playoffs, but lose in quarterfinals

After a thrilling, one-point win to advance to the quarterfinals of the CIF Division III playoffs, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team ran into a juggernaut in the final game and lost to wrap up the 2010-11 season.
The Jaguars went into the playoffs as the No. 9 seed, which set them up with a first-round game at Santana on Wednesday.
In a close game from start to finish, the Jags held on through a furious fourth quarter to escape with a 51–50 win.
Santana came out firing on all cylinders early in the game and took a quick lead. But the Jaguars battled back, spreading the ball around and evening the score at 11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Jags took their first lead of the game on the first shot of the second quarter, a fast-break layup by AJ Broomell that started with a steal by James Siva. Valley Center extended the lead to four points early in the quarter and pushed the lead out to six midway through the period before Santana fought back and pulled within two at halftime.
The Sultans re-took the lead with a three-pointer to open the third quarter, but the Jaguars fed the ball inside to Stehly Reden, who racked up a dozen points in the period, to take a 41–36 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Eight of Reden’s 12 points in the quarter came on free throws, as the Sultans had trouble containing Reden’s size in the paint.
The Jags needed every one of their ten points in the fourth quarter. Santana re-took the lead early in the period on a four-point play, but the Jags went on a six-point run to pull ahead by five once again. Santana responded with another six-point run to pull ahead by one with just over a minute left to play.
With time winding down, the Sultans missed an inside shot, and Siva grabbed the rebound on the baseline after it bounced off of Reden’s hands. After a quick pass fake, Siva took off, driving down the court, past his defender and into the lane, where he bounced a pass to Beau Reilly, who banked in the layup to give Valley Center a one-point lead with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Santana called a timeout with 19 seconds left to draw up a play for a last-second shot for the win. The Sultans got off an open three-pointer with eight seconds remaining, but the shot clanged off the back of the rim and bounced away. One of the Sultans nearly came down with the rebound, but Reden poked it out of his hands and the ball squirted out near mid-court. Broomell knocked it away from another Santana player, and Siva finally got ahold of the ball at half court, where he was immediately fouled with nine-tenths of a second remaining the game. Siva missed the first of his one-and-one shots, and the Sultans tried a desperation heave from the other side of the court. The Valley Center supporters held their collective breath as the ball hit the front of the rim, then celebrated when the ball fell harmlessly to the floor to end the thrilling Jaguar win.
“This game was up and down and up and down, but in the end, we held our poise,” Valley Center coach Bob Purdy said after the game. “We got a little lucky with some shots, but when they doubled Stehly and started overplaying AJ, we were able to spread the ball around and get the points we needed.”
Reden finished the game with an outstanding 22 points, while Broomell added nine, Siva had eight, Reilly had six, and Mike McInerny, Brett Henderson and Ryan Kleiman each had two.
The season came to an abrupt end on Saturday night, however, as the Jaguars traveled to St. Augustine to take on the No. 1-ranked Saints in the quarterfinals.
Valley Center ran into a well-coached team full of outstanding athletes and couldn’t keep pace in a 79–39 loss to end the season.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 5–2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but St. Augustine put the hammer down and never trailed again in the lopsided game. The Jags pulled within two points late in the first quarter, but the Saints went on a nine-point run to close out the period with an 11-point lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, as St. Augustine outscored Valley Center 25–8 in the period to hold a 28-point lead at halftime.
The lead increased to 37 after the third quarter, as the Saints forced turnovers and converted shot after shot on the fast break. With a running clock in the fourth quarter, the Saints ran out the time and put the cap on the 40-point win.
Broomell scored all of the team’s eight points in the second quarter and finished with 17 points in the game, while Reden added eight points, all of which came in the first quarter. Siva chipped in with six points, while Robby Tortes had four points and Reilly and Henderson each scored two.
Valley Center finishes off the season with an 18–9 overall record.

Jaguars earn first-ever Valley League boys basketball title

Robby Tortes puts up a tough shot against Orange Glen.

With a few high-fives and an absolute lack of fanfare, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team “celebrated” the first Valley League championship in school history with a 52–34 win at Orange Glen on Friday night.
The Jaguars were clearly happy to get the win, but center Stehly Reden summed up the conflicting emotions behind the stoic victory.
“It feels good to be the league champions, but we’ve got a new goal now,” he said.
That goal is to carry the momentum from an outstanding regular season—the Jags finished 17–8 overall and 7–1 in league, including wins in their last eight games—over into the CIF playoffs, which begin this week.
“This is a great bunch of guys,” head coach Bob Purdy said after the game. “They all practice hard and they all play hard, every week. This was the first time we had enough guys to play summer ball, and that carried over into the season. They like each other, and they play hard for each other. Now we just need to keep playing hard and hope for a good seed.”
Despite the league title and outstanding record, the Jaguars enter the CIF playoffs as the No. 9 seed of 16 teams and will play at No. 8 Santana at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the first round of the post-season.
To win their first league championship, the Jaguars spoiled Orange Glen’s senior night celebration with solid offense and stifling defense in the 52–34 win.
Valley Center built a good lead with a seven-point run late in the first quarter, but Orange Glen pulled back to within four at the end of the period.
But the Jags started the second quarter with a ten-point run, including six straight points from Reden, and held the Patriots to only three points in the quarter to take a 13-point lead at halftime.
The Jaguars spread the ball around on offense in the third quarter, as six different players scored at least a point in the period, to extend the lead to 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Jags played patient basketball, milking the clock on offense and limiting the Patriots on defense to seal the big win.
“We knew we were going to have to hustle to beat these guys,” Purdy said. “They’re a small team, so we used our big guys to our advantage. And [James] Siva really hustled out there; he’s the smallest guy on the team but he came up big for us tonight.”
Reden led all scorers with 17 points, while Siva added ten, AJ Broomell and Mike McInerny each had eight, Robby Tortes had six, Brett Henderson had two and Beau Reilly had one.
Valley Center’s opening game in the CIF playoffs is at Santana on Wednesday at 7 p.m. If the Jaguars win, they play again on Saturday night against the winner between El Capitan and No. 1 St. Augustine.

(photos by Gabriel Santana)

AJ Broomell brings the ball up the court:
Mike McInerny gets an open look at this shot:
Broomell looks for a passing lane under the basket:
Stehly Reden (4) grabs a rebound:
James Siva tries to get a pass around his defender:
Reden goes up for another rebound:
Tortes lines up a free throw:
Siva matches up on defense:
Reden gets set for a foul shot:
Broomell keeps a close eye on his man on defense:
McInerny gets a hand on this layup attempt:
McInerny grabs the loose ball...
...and dishes it off on the fast break:
Reden gets his follow-through set for a free throw:
McInerny goes in for the open layup:
Tortes keeps his hands up on defense:
Siva breaks down the court:

Siva and Beau Reilly go after a loose ball:

Broomell leads the fast break:
Reilly squares up for a free throw:
Siva turns to bring the ball into the offensive zone:
Siva gets an open jump shot:
Brett Henderson brings the ball up the court:
Dan Henderson makes a move to get past his defender:

Another big win earns share of Valley League basketball title for Lady Jags

The Valley Center varsity girls basketball team finished off the regular season with an impressive win, earned a share of the Valley League championship and advanced to the CIF playoffs this week.
The Lady Jaguars polished off Orange Glen in the season finale, earning them the league co-championship with Del Norte and the No. 7 seed in CIF Division III, which gave them a home game against Santana at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the first round of the post-season.
To get to the playoffs, the Lady Jags have been on a roll since mid-January, winning five of their last six games and eight of their last ten.
Finishing off the season at Orange Glen on Friday night, the Lady Jaguars dominated the first half and cruised down the stretch to take a 69–47 victory.
Lauren Gilster showed up in a big way for Valley Center, scoring the first 11 points of the game and leading the Lady Jaguars to a 13–9 lead after the first quarter.
Miriam Zabinsky took over for the Lady Jags in the second quarter, scoring 11 of Valley Center’s 28 points in the period, which extended the lead to 25 at halftime.
The Lady Jaguars pushed the lead out even further in the third quarter, even with the bench getting plenty of playing time, to put the Lady Patriots down by 28 heading into the fourth quarter.
Orange Glen played outstanding offense down the stretch, racking up 22 points in the final period, but the Lady Jags were solid inside and from the free throw line to hold on for the 22-point win.
Zabinsky’s 19 points led all scorers in the game, while Gilster added 18, Andie Wagner had 16, Sidney Reilly had seven, Vinessa Perryman had four, Kelli Imgrund had three and Darin Gilmore had two.
Valley Center finished the season with a 15–12 overall record and a 6–2 league mark. The Lady Jaguars will have played at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Santana in the CIF playoffs. The winner of that game will play again on Saturday against the winner of the game between Mt. Miguel and No. 2 La Jolla.
Be sure to check out the Valley Roadrunner’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/valleycenter for all the latest sports updates throughout the week.

One more win will give Jaguars a Valley League basketball title

With just one more win, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team will clinch its first Valley League championship in school history.
The Jaguars won three games in a row this week to set up their shot at the league title in the final game of the regular season, which will take place at Orange Glen on Friday night at 7 p.m.
“It’ll be a good game,” said head coach Bob Purdy. “They played hard against us last time, and it’s always tough to play them late in the season.”
The first of Valley Center’s three wins this week came at home against Del Norte last Tuesday. The Jags took a commanding lead early in the game and kept the pressure on to take a 61–41 win.
The Jaguars went on a 6–1 run to open the game, extended the lead to 10–3 midway through the opening period, and finished off the first quarter with a 13–5 lead. Stehly Reden scored eight of Valley Center’s points in the first quarter, as the Jags took advantage of their offensive rebounds and free throw opportunities.
Del Norte found some rhythm on offense in the second quarter, but the Jaguars got a boost from Robby Tortes, who scored six points in the period while subbing in for Reden. AJ Broomell added a long three-pointer at the end of the quarter to put the Jags up 29–15 at halftime.
Del Norte scored 13 points in each of the final two quarters, but Valley Center ran away with 14 in the third and 18 in the fourth to seal the win.
Reden led the scoring with 16 points, while Broomell added 15, Tortes had 14, James Siva had eight, Mike McInerny had six and Brett Henderson had two.
Friday’s game at San Dieguito turned out to be a little bit closer, as the Jaguars nearly squandered a big lead late in the game, but held on for a 60–54 win.
Once again, the Jags came out hot, scoring 15 points in the first quarter to take a seven-point lead. Both teams scored 16 in the second quarter, keeping the Valley Center lead at seven going into the locker room.
The Jaguars increased the lead to ten with 14 points in the third quarter, but San Dieguito nearly came back with 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Broomell was on fire from beyond the arc, nailing five three-pointers and dropping 23 points to lead the scoring, while Reden added 18 points, Tortes had six, Siva and Henderson each had four, McInerny had three and John Broomell had two.
The Jaguars returned home on Saturday to face Sierra Pacific, a team from the Fresno area, and showed no mercy in taking an 82–41 win.
Both teams played outstanding offense in the first quarter, as the Jaguars racked up 23 points, including 11 from Reden, but only led by eight. The Jags extended the lead with 15 points in the second quarter, putting them up by 12 at halftime.
Valley Center spread the ball around very well in the third quarter, with seven players scoring at least two points in the period. The Jaguar defense also stepped up, holding Sierra Pacific to just seven points in the quarter and pushing the lead out to 23 points.
The Jags got lots of playing time for the backups in the fourth quarter, but the offense still fired away on all cylinders, leading to 26 points in the period. Once again, the defense was also strong, limiting the Golden Bears to eight points and sealing the lopsided win.
Reden and AJ Broomell each scored 18 points, while Tortes added 15, Siva scored ten, Dan Henderson had nine, McInerny had four and Beau Reilly had two.
Valley Center is now 16–8 overall heading into the season’s final game on Friday night.

(photos by Ray Flores)

Lady Jags overcome slow start to win one of two in basketball

Valley Center’s varsity girls basketball team had a pair of slow starts in two games this week, but the Lady Jaguars managed to overcome one deficit to pull out a victory heading into the season’s final game.
The Lady Jags could only muster seven points in the first quarter of their game against Del Norte at home last Tuesday, and couldn’t find their stride on offense down the stretch in a 37–33 loss.
Despite the low-scoring opening period, the Lady Jaguars played solid defense and trailed by only three after the first quarter. They closed the gap to one point with a good second quarter, scoring ten points to trail 18–17 at halftime.
Sidney Reilly came through with seven points in the third quarter to lead Valley Center back out in front, 28–22, heading into the fourth.
But Del Norte clamped down on defense, holding the Lady Jags to just five points, while racking up 15 points of their own, to take away the win.
Reilly played an outstanding game to lead all scorers with 19 points, while Miriam Zabinsky added eight, Andie Wagner had four and both Vinessa Perryman and Lauren Gilster had one.
But the Lady Jaguars recovered for Friday’s game at San Dieguito, and a great defensive effort led to a 42–33 win.
Once again, the Lady Jags scored only seven in the opening period, but this time the defense held the Lady Mustangs to just four points in the first quarter. San Dieguito pulled back within two points at halftime, but Valley Center dominated the second half with 17 points in the third quarter and 12 more in the fourth to seal the win.
Zabinsky led the way with 14 points, while Wagner had ten, Gilster had seven, Reilly had five, and Victoria Navarro, Darin Gilmore and Perryman each had two.
The Lady Jaguars are now 14–12 overall and 5–2 in league play, with the final game of the regular season coming up on Friday at Orange Glen at 7 p.m.
And as a correction to our girls basketball article from last week, the Lady Jaguars honored four seniors before the game against Canyon Crest Academy: Navarro, Kelli Imgrund, Sophie Hernandez and Amy-Jo Lange. We apologize for the error.

(photos by Ray Flores)

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.

Gilster, Zabinsky lead Lady Jaguars to another big win

After a rough stretch of four consecutive losses in early January, Valley Center’s varsity girls basketball team has been on fire lately with wins in five of the last six games, including another win against Canyon Crest on Friday for a third straight victory.
The Lady Jaguars put the pressure on early in the game and held strong to the end for a 51–37 win for the home fans on Friday night.
The Lady Jags honored seniors Victoria Navarro and Kelli Imgrund before the game, then got right down to business in taking an early lead against the Lady Ravens.
Valley Center pulled ahead by six in the opening minutes of the game, but Canyon Crest came back with solid outside shooting to pull within two, 16–14, at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Jaguars responded in the second quarter by feeding the ball down low to Lauren Gilster, who racked up eight points in the quarter to put Valley Center back in front 28–22 at halftime.
The Lady Jags kept the defensive pressure on in the third quarter, holding the Lady Ravens to just five points in the period. Meanwhile, Miriam Zabinsky drained four shots from the floor, including a three-pointer, to put up nine points in the quarter and lead Valley Center to a 41–27 lead through three quarters.
Down the stretch, the Lady Jaguars simply kept pace with Canyon Crest and made sure the backups got some playing time in cruising to the 14-point win.
Gilster led all scorers with 20 points, while Zabinsky wasn’t far behind with 19 points, Navarro and Sidney Reilly each scored five and Vinessa Perryman added two in the win.
The Lady Jaguars are now 13–11 overall and 4–1 in league, with the next game coming on Friday night at San Dieguito at 5:30 p.m.

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.