Valley Vista falls to late Independence barrage

Valley Vista, the surprise team in the final of the Nortwest Holiday Basketball Tournament, spent the first three quarters proving they belonged.

The Monsoon's half-court defense stymied favored Independence, who led 38-36 heading into the fourth. Then, the Patriots' leader finally shook loose in the open court.

Senior point guard Corbin Wicktor scored 10 of his 24 points in the first 3:22 of the fourth quarter, spearheading a 18-6 run that allowed the Patriots to seize control. Independence (12-1) claimed the tournament crown, beating Valley Vista (5-7) 64-50.

"We knew Wicktor could get hot at any moment, so we really tried to defend him from getting shots off, and we did a real good job of that," Valley Vista coach Mike Anderson said. "Then he happened to get a couple of open looks in the fourth quarter and credit to him, he made it count. That kind of took the wind out of our sails."

Wicktor delivered the dagger with back-to-back three-point shots off fast break opportunities, pushing the Patriots to a 50-41 lead.

"It's a credit to them running in transition, knowing where Wicktor was and finding him," Anderson said. "They play well as a team and share the ball well."

Wicktor took over late — he only had two points at halftime, but Independence stayed in the game thanks to defense and the inside play of senior forward Daniel Velazquez, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Patriots gave Valley Vista's main man, senior forward Jameel Yousif, few open looks, running multiple defenders at him. This left outside shooters open, and senior guard Isaiah Steele took advantage.

Steele steadily poured in jumpers from the wing, leading the Monsoon with 18 points. It was a breakout performance for one of the few Valley Vista players to struggle in this tournament.

"Today was great to bounce back because this whole tournament, I've been off," Steele said. "My teammates were seeing me get open, they were hitting me and I was hitting the shots, so it's all for them getting me open."

Yousif added 16 points, four rebounds and two blocks, picking up his game with 12 points in the second half.

Though the final eight minutes weren't what Valley Vista wanted, this tournament stands as the pinnacle of the program's short history. For senior leaders Yousif, Steele and Tirrell Turner, it is a nice reward for years of hard work.

"I'm just proud of my team, from starting my sophomore year and how hard we've fought to become as good of a team as we are now," Steele said. "I'm just proud of us, and I know that going into region play next week, we'll be confident in what we do."

The second-place hardware is the boys basketball team's first contribution to the school's trophy case. If Valley Vista is able to go on a run in its final 13 Northwest Region games, it could be remembered as the week that turned the Monsoon's season around.

"I think we've got the momentum in our favor now," Anderson said. "Now we have to go back to the practice court and do something with it."

Yousif and Turner were voted on the all tournament team. Wicktor was named tournament most valuable player.