Atwater High boys basketball rallies for overtime win over Golden Valley in CCC showdown
Atwater High senior Khoi Nguyen can become the first boys basketball player in the school’s history to win four league championships.
The Falcons four-year star shook off a shaky start against Golden Valley on Monday night, scoring key baskets late and leading the team down the stretch as Atwater erased a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Cougars 52-45 in overtime in a rare game played in the comfy confines of the school’s old gym.
The win vaults Atwater (7-2 Central California Conference, 13-11 overall) to the top of the conference standings, where just two games separates the top five teams in the CCC.
“We still have our work cut out for us by all accounts,” said Atwater coach Kanoa Smith, whose team has three CCC games remaining.
Monday’s clash had a championship feel with a large crowd crammed into the smaller old gym.
The game was originally scheduled for last Friday, but two junior varsity referees were assigned to the game. The two coaches agreed to move the game to Monday night and the game was officiated by three top experienced referees.
The game was played in the old gym because Atwater’s new gym was hosting a future freshmen orientation.
“There’s so much on the line — nothing against the referees — you see how close this game was, all it takes is one kind of call to go the wrong way and you’re in trouble,” Smith said.
The Cougars (6-3 CCC, 17-8) had an opportunity to put themselves atop the CCC standings.
With senior sharp-shooter Braden Castleton draining six 3-pointers and scoring 21 points, Golden Valley had worked its way to a 40-33 lead with 5 minutes left in the game.
The Falcons would close the game on a 19-5 run in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We fell apart,” said Golden Valley coach Derrick Jacobs. “We went away from what worked, we took some quick shots, we didn’t sprint back like we were doing. We lost sight of the shooter, it cost us. It happens, good atmosphere tonight. We just couldn’t keep our focus all the way through.”
The Falcons picked up the pressure on defense and Nguyen closed strong. After scoring just three points up until that point, the senior point guard scored 11 of his team-high 14 points in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime. He also made some key plays, setting up shots for his teammates.
“I wasn’t doing the things I needed to do, I wasn’t being a good leader, which is probably my biggest trait, my biggest quality,” Nguyen said. “Toward the end I told the guys I need to be better.”
Fellow senior Nicholas Trejo hit some key shots in the second half for Atwater, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half and overtime. Sophomore AJ Banks added 10 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the Falcons.
Banks started the overtime with a key steal and layup on the other end. Trejo then knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Falcons a quick 46-41 lead less than a minute into the overtime period.
“At the end it was all about trust,” Nguyen said. “Trusting each other, trusting my teammates to know they would be able to make plays.”
The victory tied Nguyen with his former teammates Colton Dukes and Tyler Parr with 73 career wins.
“Khoi is our leader,” Smith said. “He’s been playing varsity since he was a freshman. Nobody in school history has won four league championships. He’s one game away from winning the most games in school history.”
Meanwhile, Golden Valley will have to try to flip the page and finish strong, starting with a home game against El Capitan on Wednesday night.
“This is type of stuff you live for, you’ve got to want stuff like this,” Jacobs said. “We would like to be on the other end, where we’re sitting in first, but unfortunately it didn’t work like that, so now we have to go protect our home court and we’ve got to go get one on the road. We’ve got to go three in a row and then we’ll be all right.”
