Coach Brian Beauchemin got his 500th career win (all at Glendale) as the Vaqueros (16-11, 5-30 shot 56% in the second half and raced past visiting LA Valley (16-8, 5-3), 105-98, Wednesday night at Vaquero Gym.
SG Markus Monroe had a game-high 30 pts - 15 in each half - for Glendale, and Ctr Curtis Leslie had a monster game with 26 pts and 18 rebs to lead Glendale to the win. Three other Vaqueros also scored in double figures.
But Valley played well in defeat, scoring nearly 100 points as seven Monarchs scored in double figures. Valley led by as many as 10 points, late in the first half, and led as late as 75-74 with about 8 minutes left in the before a 13-0 run put Glendale in control.
Early on, it looked like Valley would ruin the party, as a large crowd had gathered at Vaquero Gym to see Beauchemin get his 500th career win. The Monarchs began the game on a 7-0 run on a 3-pointer and a driving lay-up by SF Ron Holden and a putback basket by Ctr Shaun Johnson.
Glendale rallied to tie the score at 10, but then Valley scored the game's next 7 points to go back in front, 17-10, after a 3-pointer by PG Bo Bennett. Glendale again rallied, taking a brief lead at 27-26 on a 3-pointer by Monroe with 7:45 left in the first half.
But Valley finished the half strong, building a 10-point lead at 45-35 after another three by Bennett with 1:40 left. Glendale closed the margin to 6 points at 47-41 with a driving lay-up by Monroe late in the half, but the Monarchs still held the 6-point halftime lead, thanks largely to their 10 3-pointers.
When the second half began, Glendale quickly wiped out that deficit, tying the game at 55 after a jumper by Monroe with 15:40 left in the game. Valley went back in front, but Glendale stayed close and took its first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer by PG Lanval Gordon with 8:15 left that made it 74-72.
Valley got a 3-pointer by SF Chris Horstman to go back in front, but then Glendale went on the 13-0 run to take control of the game. Back-to-back threes by Monroe and PG Jose Garcia gave Glendale an 80-75 lead, and a pair of free throws by Leslie made it 82-75. Then after a steal by Gordon, SF Zareh Zargaryan scored on a putback to make it 84-75. And after another steal - this one by Garcia - Leslie scored, was fouled and converted the 3-point play to make it 87-75 with 5:38 left.
Just over two minutes later, Glendale suffered a blow that might well extend beyond this game when Garcia suffered a left knee injury. He was fouled on the play by Bennett, and his leg appeared to get caught under him. He was helped from the floor and did not return.
Still, Glendale held onto the lead, though Valley mounted one final rally in the final minutes to cut the margin to 3 points at 97-94 after a basket by Johnson on an assist from PG Gino Riney. Glendale got a basket from Gordon to make it 99-94, but Valley SG Germel Coleman made a pair of free throws with 1:15 left to make it 99-96. And the Monarchs got the ball back moments later on a steal by Bennett.
But Valley was unable to score, with first Coleman missing a jumper and then Johnson unable to convert the putback, and Glendale's Monroe finally corraling the rebound. Valley had little choice but to foul, and Monroe made both free throws to make it 101-96 with 56.1 seconds left.
After a missed jumper by Riney, PF Kevin Dancer grabbed the rebound for Glendale, was fouled, and made one of two free throws to make it 102-96. Then Dancer stole the ball, and got the pass back from Zargaryan for a lay-up that made it 104-96 and sealed the win for Glendale.
In addition to Monroe and Leslie, the double-figure scorers for Glendale were Dancer, with 13 pts, Zargaryan, who also had 8 rebs and a game-high 8 asts, and Gordon, who came off the bench to score 11 pts. Garcia finished with 8 pts and 5 asts before leaving the game with the knee injury.
For Valley, Coleman led the way with 23 pts, including 6 threes, plus 6 rebs and 5 asts. Holden had a solid game with 15 pts and 6 rebs. Bennett and Ctr Joey Street each had 12 pts, while Riney had 11 pts and 5 asts. Johnson posted the double-double with 10 pts and a team-high 11 rebs despite missing most of the first half with foul trouble.
With the win, Glendale ties Valley for 3rd in the ultra-competitive WSC-South with a 5-3 record. It's the Vaqueros' fourth straight win to get into the playoff race.
But the night belonged to Beauchemin, who has spent his entire 29-year head coaching career at Glendale and now has a career mark of 500-395.
box score
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - 7:30 pm
at Vaquero Gym, Glendale
WSC-South
LA Valley Monarchs 98:
3-Demetrius Malone, PF - 0/4 fg, 0/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
21-Ron Holden, SF - 6/11 fg, 1/2 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 15 pts
23-Germel Coleman, SG - 7/17 fg, 3/4 ft, 6 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 23 pts
31-Shaun Johnson, C - 5/12 fg, 0/2 ft, 11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 10 pts
32-Gino Riney, PG - 4/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 11 pts
24-Codie Kemp, G - 0/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 2 pts
40-Chris Lenik, F - 0/4 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
12-Bo Bennett, G - 4/8 fg, 2/3 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 12 pts
44-Joey Street, C - 5/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 12 pts
22-Michael Nmvoya, G - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 3 pts
33-Chris Horstman, F - 4/7 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 10 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 36/85 fg (.424), 12/21 ft (.571), 50 reb, 23 ast, 4 blk, 6 stl, 23 pf, 98 pts
3-pt fg (14): Coleman 6, Holden 2, Bennett 2, Horstman 2, Riney, Nmvoya
Turnovers (14): Riney 5, Holden 2, Coleman 2, Nmvoya 2, Malone, Bennett, Horstman
Glendale Vaqueros 105:
21-Jose Garcia, PG - 2/5 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
22-Markus Monroe, SG - 10/20 fg, 6/6 ft, 4 reb, 3 stl, 2 pf, 30 pts
32-Zareh Zargaryan, SF - 4/11 fg, 3/5 ft, 8 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 11 pts
35-Kevin Dancer, PF - 5/9 fg, 3/5 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 13 pts
42-Curtis Leslie, C - 9/15 fg, 8/8 ft, 18 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 26 pts
11-Lanval Gordon, G - 5/12 fg, 0/1 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 11 pts
30-Tulio Yamasita, F - 2/3 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 pf, 4 pts
20-Tyief Thompson, G - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
12-Robert Valentine, G - 2/2 ft, 2 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 37/77 fg (.481), 24/31 ft (.774), 44 reb, 19 ast, 8 blk, 8 stl, 18 pf, 105 pts
3-pt fg (7): Monroe 4, Garcia 2, Gordon
Turnovers (10): Zargaryan 3, Garcia 2, Leslie 2, Monroe, Dancer, Gordon
Halftime Score: LA Valley 47, Glendale 41
Updated Records: Glendale 16-11, 5-3 in WSC-S; LA Valley (#7-South, #14-Calif) 16-8, 5-3 in WSC-S
Note: This is Glendale Coach Brian Beauchemin's 500th Career Win
