West Valley still perfect

By: ED WEHDE - Staff Writer
Mustangs tied with Perris atop Sunbelt after routing Paloma

MENIFEE -- In a battle of opposing styles, West Valley's inside game trumped Paloma Valley's outside game, and the Mustangs boys basketball team muscled past the host Wildcats for a 73-53 win in Sunbelt League play Wednesday night.

The win keeps West Valley (14-1 overall) perfect in league play at 3-0 and tied with Perris atop the Sunbelt League standings.

"I'm happy with a win. The kids played hard," said West Valley coach Chuck Peebles, whose team is ranked third in Division III-A by the CIF Southern Section. "We set standards that we try to achieve as a team, and I think we achieved them. We had a little hard time here and there doing it, but I thought when the kids had to respond and be tough, they did.

"I'm proud of my kids. It's great to get out of Paloma with a win."

The Wildcats, who are ranked ninth in the division, fell a game off the pace at 2-1 in league.

"This is a long season," Paloma coach Michael Pfeiffer said. "We're 13-6 now. We've played 19 games. A win (Wednesday) night doesn't make our season; a loss (Wednesday) night doesn't ruin our season.

"It's important to enjoy this journey and learn from every step along the way."

The two teams played fairly even through the first quarter as West Valley seemed content to play the outside game that benefits Paloma, throwing up six 3-pointers and making two. The Wildcats were within three points after one quarter, but once the Mustangs settled into their own game, they were able to dominate inside the paint and pull away on the scoreboard.

"We're not a 3-point shooting team," Peebles said. "That's one of the things we talked about during time outs. We can't get into a shooting match. Paloma has great shooters."

The Mustangs took just nine 3-point shots in the final three quarters, and by halftime, they led by 8.

The lead was 26 after three quarters as the Wildcats went from two minutes left in the second period to just over two minutes left in the third without making a field goal. Their only points during that span came at the free throw line and they missed 13 straight shots from the field, including seven from behind the arc.

"They stepped it up in the second half and played a little better D, and that's a bad shooting night for us," Pfeiffer said.

West Valley guard Eric Lawton led five Mustangs in double figures with 18 points, many of which came on drives to the hoop or putbacks, forward Dakota Downs scored 16 and Kris Brooks had 13. West Valley's 6-foot-8 post player, Joseph Burton, dominated inside with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and John Balwigaire contributed 11 points.

Adam Alfaro and Zach Hubert each hit three 3-pointers to pace the Wildcats with 11 points apiece, and Dionte Goodlett matched them by hitting 11 of 13 free throws.

"They're not ranked No. 3 in our division for nothing," Pfeiffer said. "They're a heck of a team."

-- Contact staff writer Ed Wehde at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2633 or [email protected].

.