Five Vikings scored in double figures to help snap a six-game losing skid in head coach Bill Bedgood’s first game against his former team.
A nightmarish non-league season is finally over the Valencia Vikings, and if Tuesday night was any indication, the full-strength squad will be a force in the Foothill League.
Coming off a lackluster 73-48 loss to Division 5AAA Santa Clarita Christian on Saturday night (their sixth consecutive loss), the argument could be made it was now or never to right the ship at home against a good Saugus team and get league play started off the right way.
And that the Vikings, did, pulling away in the second quarter for the 91-80 win. They led by as many as 16 points, including a 47-33 halftime lead they would never relinquish.
Their considerable size advantage proved to be the difference, as the combination of forwards’ Jayden Trower (17 points) and Josh Assiff (17 points) and the energy off the bench from Golden Valley junior transfer Richard Kawakami (making his debut in a Valencia uniform). Reigning Foothill League Player of the Year Dexter Akanno put up a game-high 20 points, including one thunderous dunk.
“I felt like all of our bigs were real effective … we knew we’d have an advantage there. Kawakami, Trower and Josh Assiff were just real solid there at the 4-5 spot,” mentioned Bedgood after the game.
Still, Saugus made them earn every basket in what was an entertaining game, which was especially interesting given sophomore Adrian McIntyre’s increased role as the go-to player for the Centurions. McIntyre was electric at the start with eight early points before cooling off until late in the second half. He finished with a team-high 19 points.
Saugus will look to regroup when it hosts Austin Galuppo and the West Ranch Wildcats Friday night, while Valencia visits Hart in the boy’s “KHTS Game of the Night”. Tipoff for both games are scheduled for 6:30.
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