Valley Torah outlasts Santa Rosa in boys basketball playoff

Santa Rosa Academy's Austyn Hopkins drives to the basket Wednesday. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Juliette Johnson, Correspondent

Santa Rosa Academy’s boys basketball season ended Wednesday night with a 66-60 home loss to Valley Torah High School.

Santa Rosa’s leading scorer was senior Chris Jones with 19 points. Senior Austyn Hopkins trailed close behind with 18 points.

Valley Torah took a slight lead at the start of the game, but it was not held for long. The Rangers worked hard on both ends of the court, extending their lead while keeping the Wolfpack behind. The Rangers continued to hold their lead by the end of the first quarter, making it 24-19.

In the second quarter, Valley Torah continued to catch up and eventually passed Santa Rosa even after a slow start at the beginning of the game. The Rangers' defense was tested this quarter and allowed 18 points. The two teams kept a tie until the last minute, when Valley Torah scored the last two points of the first half, leaving the score at 37-35 going into halftime.

Going into the third quarter, the two teams were tied within two minutes, but the tie was not maintained for long. Santa Rosa failed to find the balance and determination they had shown in the first quarter, and Valley Torah kept its newfound lead. The Rangers tried to keep the score as close as they could, ending the third quarter down by four with a score of 52-48.

Santa Rosa came into the last quarter with slightly more energy, trying to keep the score within five at all times. Valley Torah played both sides of the court and prevented any chances as best as they could. Both teams fought tirelessly and used physicality on both sides of the court, but ultimately Santa Rosa could not keep up and could not capitalize on important shot opportunities.

Valley Torah’s highest scorer was junior Joey Victor with 20 points.

Chris Jones releases a 3-point shot in the Rangers' playoff game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Cory Moore puts up a shot for the Rangers in Wednesday's game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Chris Jones drives to the basket against a Valley Torah defender. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)