The East Valley Falcons were the 69-66 winner over the Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences Vipers when they last played one another back in December of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. East Valley was just a bucket shy of victory on Wednesday and fell 44-43 to Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences.
East Valley lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Lukas Carone, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Carone pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Itzak Salazar, who scored nine points along with nine rebounds and five assists.
East Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 12-5. As for Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 16-8.
East Valley will head out on the road to face off against Sherman Oaks CES at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Sherman Oaks CES knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past seven matchups -- so hopefully East Valley likes a good challenge. As for Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Northridge Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
