Basketball Recap: Jaylen Valdez Key Part of a Team Effort in Lions Win

Destiny Christian Academy lost to Kennedy back in December of 2014, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Monday. The Destiny Christian Academy Lions strolled past the Kennedy Cougars with points to spare, taking the game 80-61. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Cougars are ranked 292nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Destiny Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaylen Valdez led the charge by going 7 for 11 en route to 16 points along with six rebounds and five assists. The matchup was Valdez's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Nick Andreotti, who went 7 of 15 on his way to 19 points.

Lions

Assists

02/02/24 @ Vista del Lago	26
12/02/23 vs Serra	24
01/13/25 @ Kennedy	22
02/07/24 @ Del Campo	22
12/09/23 vs Folsom	21

Valdez wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Destiny Christian Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Several Cougars players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Clif Chandler-Manning, who posted 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Christler Cee, who earned 15 points.

Destiny Christian Academy is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Kennedy, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-6.

Destiny Christian Academy has already played their next game, a 74-52 win against Cordova on the 15th. As for Kennedy, a feisty cat fight is on tap when the Kennedy Cougars challenge the West Park Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Kennedy is facing West Park at the right time seeing as West Park is stuck on a three-game losing streak.