Valley View Has Too Much for Paloma in Tourney Opener

Wildcats guard Demarco Prewitt tries to get around Valley View defenders in Saturday's tournament game. Photos courtesy of kristijophotography.com

By Daniel Millhouse

Just one day after Christmas, Paloma Valley High School played host to its annual Winter Shootout Tournament for boys basketball Saturday. Opening the eight-team tournament with teams coming from as far away as Boulder City, Nevada, the Wildcats battled against Valley View High School of Moreno Valley, but lost, 72-56.

The Eagles of Valley View (8-4) quickly displayed how well they could shoot from beyond the arc. In the first quarter alone, they hit 5 3-pointers, which directly contributed to a 9-0 run they had in the first minutes of the game. Senior guards Gabe Hicks and Mike Herrera scored 16 of the 19 points that Valley View put up in the first quarter.

"They’re unconscious about it," Paloma Valley coach Michael Pfeiffer said about Valley View’s ability to hit from deep. "They’re just shooting it really well, so then every one of our misses is magnified. When you keep seeing them put it in and we miss a couple in a row, you just start to get a feeling and if you didn’t get that feeling, you wouldn’t be a teenager right now."

Playing short-handed, the Wildcats (6-6) didn’t give up. With nine players dressed for the game, the Wildcats cut into the 17-7 Eagles lead with a 7-0 scoring run of their own, led by shooting from senior Blake Bouman (right) and tough play by sophomore Steven Bradshaw. This kept Paloma Valley close after one quarter of play, 19-14.

Valley View turned up the intensity in the second quarter, putting up a 6-0 run in the first minutes and outscoring the Wildcats 21-10 in the quarter. The Wildcats quickly found themselves in the bonus due to the physical play of the Eagles, but were only able to shoot 2 for 4 from the foul line.

Paloma Valley held the score close in the third quarter, putting more pressure on Valley View with a more physical style of play. Bradshaw hit the floor on a few occasions diving for loose balls and on one occasion hitting Bouman from the floor for a fast break layup.

Unfortunately, this more physical style of play put Paloma Valley’s Demarco Prewitt in foul trouble, earning his fourth foul with six minutes left in the third quarter. This left the already shorthanded Wildcats in a bind with Prewitt on the bench and another player out with a sprained ankle, leaving them with only seven other players to turn to.

After three quarters of play, Valley View was up 55-38.

Down by 17, the Wildcats let loose with a 7-0 scoring run. Starting the fourth quarter on the floor, Prewitt hit a shot from deep for 3 while junior Christian Young was able to pound in the paint for 2 more, cutting the Valley View lead to 10.

Senior power forward Josh Madrid contributed 7 points of his own in the fourth to put more pressure on Valley View.

Playing a more physical defense, the Eagles found themselves in the bonus for most of the fourth quarter, shooting 4 for 5 from the foul line to keep the Wildcats at bay.

"They’re a really good team," Pfeiffer said after the game. "When you’re short-handed with injuries and foul trouble, it’s hard to play against those guards (Hicks and Herrera). They’re really good."

Bradshaw and Bouman led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 points each, followed by Madrid and Prewitt (left), who scored 10 each. The Eagles were led by senior Joshua Jones, who scored 18 points, 9 of which came from 3-pointers. Hicks scored 17 points, 12 came 3-pointers, and Herrera scored 16 points, 9 points from 3-pointers. As a whole, Valley View hit 12 total 3-pointers in the game.

There are two pools in the Winter Shootout. Pool A is comprised of Paloma Valley, Boulder City, Valley View, and Vista Del Lago (Moreno Valley). Pool B is comprised of Vista Murrieta, San Jacinto, Elsinore, and Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley).

The remaining schedule of the tournament is as follows:

Day Two (Dec. 28)
Paloma Valley vs. Bounder City, 1:30 p.m.
Vista Del Lago vs. Valley View, 3 p.m.
Vista Murrieta vs. Canyon Springs, 4:30 p.m.
San Jacinto vs. Elsinore, 6 p.m.

Day Three (Dec. 29)
Paloma Valley vs. Vista Del Lago, 1:30 p.m.
Valley View vs. Boulder City, 3 p.m.
Canyon Springs vs. San Jacinto, 4:30 p.m.
Elsinore vs. Vista Murrieta, 6 p.m.

Day Four (Dec. 30)
To be determined by the first three days.

Paloma Valley's Steven Bradshaw (3) drives to the basket against Valley View.

Forward Josh Madrid heads to the hoop during Paloma Valley's game on Saturday.