SACRAMENTO - A season after finishing 5-20-1,
Valencia won its first CIF Division IV boys basketball title with a 89-59 victory over
Half Moon Bay on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Led by junior
Bryce Bedgood and seniors
Mikah Ballew and
Kai Davis, the Vikings won 22 more games than last season and brought home the school’s first state crown in the process.
“A lot of these guys experienced (the 5-win season)” said Valencia head coach Bill Bedgood. “I don’t think we are here if we hadn’t experienced that with some of our key guys. Our juniors and our sophomores absorbed it all and took it on the chin, game after game.”
Ballew was one of the leaders all postseason for the Vikings, who won their five postseason games by an average of 21.8 points.
In the Southern Regional final against St. Bonaventure, Ballew had 30 points. The senior who transferred in this season from Alemany has offers to Sacramento State and Portland and added 25 points in the final, including 12 in the first half.
With the Vikings up 35-26 with 2:10 to play in the first half, Ballew dribbled the ball up the floor and quickly picked up his dribble from the NBA 3-point line and fired it in for a 12-point lead.
“I practice those shots all the time,” said Ballew who added 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. “I shoot those shots all the time in the game regardless of whether it's a high school gym or an NBA arena. I’m confident when I shoot it and I don’t back down from anything.”
Ballew was joined in double-digits by Davis who had 17 points and 8 assists and Bedgood who had 22 points on 11-14 shooting, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks.
“I normally focus on a good defensive effort and putting myself in a good position to get offensive and defensive rebounds,” Bryce Bedgood said.
Half Moon Bay scored the first seven points of the game including a spin pass from senior
Dio Lucido to freshman
Gio Garduno-Martin. Valencia quickly called a timeout and got right into the zone, cutting the lead to 7-5.
“The timeout was very direct,” Bill Bedgood said. “We know where the advantage is. We can win this game a couple of different way, lets just take the path of least resistance, let’s be smart about it.”
Moments later Ballew gave Valencia its first lead of the game at 12-11 on a 3-pointer.
Ballew along with Davis dominated the rest of the half, combining to score 26 points in the first half, sending Valencia into the locker room with an 11-point lead.
Valencia started the second off on an 11-1 run, extending the lead to 54-33 three minutes into the third
“Our whole focus this whole season is to be as close to perfect as we can and just play our style of basketball,” Ballew said. “In the beginning of the third quarter we just turned up.”
Valencia celebrates its first CIF State championship after defeating Half Moon Bay 89-59 on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center.
(Photo: David Steutel)
