Spartans win Golden Ball Game in OT
EL CENTRO — They finally got one.
After a series of closegame heartbreaks dating back to their Imperial Valley League opener vs. Calexico, the Central Union Spartans finally managed to end a white-knuckler in the win column, defeating the Brawley Wildcats 57-54 in overtime in the annual Golden Ball Game at Spartan Arena here.
Do-everything wing/forward/center Jordan Reed had himself a day with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while senior guard Khalil Wyatt added 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists of his own to help reintroduce a measure of “justice” to the Spartan’s game league results after four losses decided by a combined 12 points.
Both Brawley and Central entered the night in desperate need of course-correcting wins. Each had harbored legitimate IVL title hopes ahead of the season, but both were now out of the running after dispiriting losses on Tuesday (Brawley was beaten soundly by Calexico and Central fell to Southwest after an apparent double-dribble ahead of a game-winning buzzer-beater went uncalled).
Appropriately each side went all out in their regular-season finales, keeping it close from start to finish. Baskets were met with baskets and stops with stops straight down the line. The Wildcats and the Spartans were tied at the end of every period except for the first and OT.
“It was a really hard fight,” said Spartan coach Juan Valenzuela. “Everybody really showed up for the rivalry. It just came down to who could get more possessions.”
In situations like this it helps to be a good rebounding team, which the Spartans have proven to be. Having Reed’s extend-o-matic arms on hand certainly helps, but everybody on the team seems to have a pretty good nose for the ball.
Central had little margin for error toward the end of regulation down six with time winding down, but the occasionally softshelled Spartan D went full Iron Man, blowing up play after Wildcat play and leading to three straight buckets at the other end to tie things up at 50-all before time ran out. This defensive tenacity carried over into extras and helped seal Central’s eventual win.
Now the Spartans can head into the CIF-SDS Division IV playoffs (where they’ve got the chance to meet up with Calexico again, or even Calipatria) with a little wind at their backs.
Coach Valenzuela thinks they’re in better shape to make a run than their 1414 record indicates.
“We’ve finally got our health,” he said, noting that injuries and the flu had really done a number on his squad since their stellar tourney run in Santana over the holiday break. “I think we’ve gained a rhythm as a unit again. We’re getting more unselfish, making the extra pass on offense. … I don’t think we’ve peaked.”
At 19-9 overall, Brawley still has a chance to make waves in the Division III bracket, but they’ve fallen considerably in the rankings since their high-water days of being seeded third overall.
Exactly where the Wildcats, and Spartans, have landed will be revealed by the SDS office at noon today.