- Golden Valley won their first game they’ve played since December 20th
- Summerville begins league play on Friday, January 9th.
The Golden Valley High basketball team welcomed Summerville High to its home court on the evening of January 5th. Entering the night, the Golden Valley Cougars held a record of 9–6, while the Summerville Bears came in at 4–7. With league play just around the corner, both teams entered the game hoping to build some momentum as the new year kicked off.
The Cougars showed focus and determination in the opening quarter, getting on the scoreboard first with a layup from Edgar Rodriguez. Julian Solorio followed with another basket as the Cougars quickly established their offense. As the quarter continued, Rodriguez scored again and Fabian Navarrete managed a fast break layup to keep Golden Valley ahead. Navarrete later made a basket from behind the arch, helping stretch the lead. Summerville player Wyatt Archer got the team on the board making two field goals throughout the last 3 minutes of the 1st quarter. After the opening period, the Cougars held a ten-point lead, with the score being 14-4.
Golden Valley stayed in control in the second quarter, opening the period with a three-pointer from Fabian Navarrete. Julian Solorio immediately followed with a powerful layup as the Cougars continued to separate themselves. Summerville briefly responded with a three-pointer from Alec Erhardt, but Golden Valley answered by rebounding well and getting second chances under the net. Despite several trips to the free-throw line for both teams, Golden Valley maintained its lead with the score being 25-11 by the end of the first half.
Golden Valley came out strong in the third quarter, with Julian Solorio hitting a three-pointer early. Edgar Rodriguez added two three-point shots in a row, which were crucial in solidifying their lead. Summerville struggled to find much offense, managing only a few baskets as Golden Valley extended their lead. By the end of the quarter, the Cougars were comfortably ahead, 47-17.
The Cougars kept their momentum going in the fourth quarter. Jeremiah Saephan opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by baskets from Jokel Davis and Elijah Carter. Summerville struggled offensively, with all of their 4th quarter points coming from Wyatt Archer. Golden Valley’s strong rebounding and ball movement led to efficient scoring allowing them to keep their lead without much resistance from Summerville. Elijah Carter and Abhay Kahlon added a couple of baskets of their own late in the game to help the Cougars close things out in dominant fashion by a final score of 63–21.
After the game, Golden Valley’s Julian Solorio shared his thoughts on the team’s performance. He said, “I feel like we play good. The first half was a little rough. They came out with more energy, but I think we picked it up in the second half.” Solorio highlighted the areas where they could improve, “Definitely staying within ourselves. When teams tend to get in our heads, we start playing sloppy. So I think keeping our composure and sticking to the game plan will help us out.”
Looking ahead, Solorio was clear about the team’s goals: “Obviously, winning CCC. Our main goal is to make it to playoffs, at least win one game, but we got to take care of League first.” His comments reflected a team confident in their abilities but aware of the work still ahead even after a strong performance against Summerville.
Golden Valley will take their momentum on the road next, traveling to face the Galt Warriors. Summerville will stay on the road for their next game against the Bret Harte Bullfrogs. Both teams will look to build on what they learned from this game as the season progresses.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
