There didn’t appear to be any dropoff in play from the reshuffled Valencia boys basketball starting lineup against Saugus on Friday night. The Division 2AA No. 4 ranked Vikings continue to prove to be the class of the Santa Clarita Valley this season.

It’s safe to say senior Richard Kawakami has enjoyed having the ball in his hands more. Playing as a forward for most of his career that has spanned two different Foothill League high schools (Golden Valley for his first two years and Valencia for the final two), he has spent most of his time close to the basket, rather than attacking the hoop from beyond the paint.

“Yes, I have felt a lot more comfortable attacking the basket because I feel like I’m at my best whenever I do that,” said Kawakami.

Moving to what has appeared lately as a full-time switch to point guard, Kawakami is flourishing in the role. One of his best attributes is finishing around the rim, and it has no doubt helped being able to get a head of steam. Additionally, the Vikings transition offense has steadied and the team looks more confident running the floor than earlier in the season. Richard believes it has helped him, too.

“A big change that I have seen in my game would be my passing ability, I love to get my teammates in positions where they can be successful and get going offensively.”

Friday against Saugus, it was all on display. Up 31-24 at halftime, Valencia came out in the third quarter pressuring the ball high up the court and quickly pushed their lead to eleven points, picking up where the frenetic pace of the second quarter left off.

Toward the end of the third quarter, however, Saugus countered by slowing the game down and getting to the free throw line. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Centurions were in the double bonus and trimmed the lead to 42-37.

A two possession game for most of the fourth quarter doubled in the final three minutes thanks to more Kawakami (sixteen of his game-high 28 points in the second half) and junior Jake Hlywiak (16 points), and the Vikings finished strong for a 68-55 victory. Saugus junior Adrian McIntyre had 24 points in the loss.

With four more league games to go, Valencia (18-5, 6-0) is on track for its first undefeated Foothill League season in over 17 years.

KHTS Sports is your place for the 2018 Santa Clarita winter sports season and your Santa Clarita Super Bowl LIII coverage. Find all the latest news and updates on your hometown schools here as they compete in the Foothill League, Heritage League, Western State Conference and GSAC. If you have any news and notes about our teams and players to share please send them to jp@hometownstation.com, like us on facebook.com/khtssports and follow us @KHTSSports on Twitter.