On paper, tonight’s game between Valor Christian and host Chaparral shaped up to be an early season preview of a potential playoff matchup. After the first quarter, it looked to be true, however, Valor’s one-two punch of Kindyll Wetta and Raegan Beers had other plans to start the second quarter pushing the Eagles lead to one Chaparral could not overcome.
The Wolverines got off to a quick 8-0 start behind back-to-back-to-back points inside by sophomore Avery Bang before her twin sister Payton added a basket of her own. With 4:42 remaining in the quarter, Wetta went two-for-two at the stripe to get Valor on the board for the first time in the game. The Eagles looked somewhat sloppy to start the game, but once they had points on the board, they looked to settle down. Chaparral’s offense stalled as Valor began to pick up steam, taking their first lead of the game with under two minutes to go in the first – a lead the Eagles did not give up for the remainder of the game. Raegan Beers flashed good defensive range as she stepped out to the arc to block a three-point attempt by Chaparral to regain the lead. Kindyll Wetta pushed the Valor lead to five with a smooth ISO crossover. On the ensuing offensive possession for Chaparral, senior Jessica Formento knocked down a three to end the quarter to push the Wolverines to their closest score for the rest of the game at 11-13 in favor of Valor.
The second quarter began with a quick offensive outburst by Beers and Wetta, pushing the Valor lead to eight before Chaparral found the bottom of the net in the quarter. Beers was a force to be reckoned with in the quarter and the Wolverines had no answer for her, as she had her way inside, dominating the paint on both ends. The Eagles continued to ride the hot hands of Beers and Wetta for most of the quarter as they took a comfortable 33-19 lead into the break, outscoring Chaparral 20-8 in the quarter.
The second half proved to be much slower, as Valor looked to be on cruise control and having their way with Chaparral. The Wolverines kept pace with Valor in terms of points scored in the second half, scoring only four less. However, the offensive production in the first half proved to be too much for Chaparral to overcome. Valor Christian began 2020 with a comfortable 52-34 victory over the Wolverines as they look to gain the number one ranking in 5A in the coming days.
Game Notes:
Valor Christian:
Raegan Beers came alive in the second quarter scoring a team-high eight points in the quarter, followed by Kindyll Wetta’s seven. Overall, Wetta led both squads with 24 points on the night. Beers finished with 14 of her own, as the two girls combined outscored Chaparral 38-34.
Chaparral:
The Wolverines are a young squad with a lot of talent to build off of in the next few seasons. They are one to keep an eye on for sure this year to make a playoff run and possibly surprise some teams who might sleep on them. Sophomore twins Avery and Payton Bang led their team with eight and seven points respectively. Senior Jessica Formento finished her night with six points.
