All five starters scored in double figures for the Owls men (22-1, 9-0 WSC) Saturday night to lead the team to a 96-89 victory over the LA Valley Monarchs (13-9, 5-3). James Walker scored a team-high 25 points and Brandon Woods had a near triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Monarch PG Alex Strauther had a game-high 26 points.
Walker had just been named the WSC South Division Player of the Week for the second time in a row on Monday. He was extremely efficient against the Monarchs, going 8 of 14 from the field and only turning the ball over once in his 32 minutes of play.
"It's a great honor to be [named] the second straight week in a row," said Walker. "I'm just humbled to get it."
The Owls started the game strong from tip-off, playing with a first half intensity that had been lacking their previous five games. The Monarchs were held to 38.5% shooting from the field in the first compared to the Owls' 51.5%. A Kendrick Thomas jumper from the right elbow gave the Owls a 34-18 lead with just over 7 minutes in the frame.
It looked like the Owls were on their way to a rout, but a Domanique Cotton 3 pointer with 2:50 left in the half sparked a Monarch 12-4 that cut the lead to 45-39 when the teams headed to the locker room.
Despite the momentary lapse, Owl head coach Chris Victor was pleased with his team's first half efforts.
"We got off to a better start," said Victor. "Having the lead going into halftime is always a good feeling."
The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first. The Owls jumped out to a commanding 19 point lead this time after a Walker tip-in put the team ahead 76-57 with 7:52 left in the game.
Just when a rout again seemed imminent, the Monarchs went on a 12-0 run led by guard Alex Strauther that trimmed the lead to 76-69. Strauther's 3-pointer and three assists during the run accounted for 10 of the 12 Monarch points over the next two and a half minutes. He would play all 40 minutes of the game, finishing with 11 assists in all.
At 5'10, Strauther is twelfth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game. His 9.8 assists per game average is a conference high. His stellar play has become routine for LA Valley.
"He had a monster game, but that's our expectations of him," said Monarch head coach Virgil Watson. "He did a great job tonight without any rest or substitutions."
Just when it seemed the Monarchs had regained momentum, guard Brandon Parga answered Strauther's 3 pointer with his third 3 of the night with 5:20 left to push the Owl lead back to double digits, 79-69. Parga had 21 points and 3 boards on the night.
The Monarchs almost clawed back after a Strauther layup with 42 seconds left made it 90-86, but a pair of Walker free throws on the next possession sealed the Owl win.
The Owls are looking forward toward their next game against Bakersfield, as a win would clinch the WSC championship.
"We want to beat them so we can get ready for State [playoffs]" said center Kendrick Thomas, who tallied 14 points and 8 rebounds.
The Owls play Bakersfield on the road next Saturday.
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