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The Valley boys seemed to be getting hot at the right time. While having a 7-12 record overall, the Rams had a perfect 4-0 in their area and won the area tournament for a home-court advantage in a subregional game. However, the late-season spark would go out on Saturday night, as they lost to Briarwood Christian 62-49. The loss means Valley will not be going to the state tournament. 

Following the game, first-year head coach Robert Cotton said the squad had trouble executing. 

“[We weren’t] controlling the offense. The defense was playing well, but we were turning the ball over, making bad decisions and bad shots,” Cotton said. 

The coach hopes to build off of this season with his core juniors. 

“[Azerion] Jennings stood out tonight, [Erin] Frazier, they stepped out, CJ Johnson…They are stepping up and getting ready for next year….[We’re] hoping to get started in another month and we’ll be ready to rock and roll,” he said. 

It was a back-and-forth first quarter. Jayden Weaver led the team, scoring six of Valley’s points. Briarwood found luck outside of the arc, sinking three three-pointers. The Rams ended up on top at the end of the frame, 18-13. 

The second saw a struggling Valley offense. The Lions, on the other hand, found another gear offensively. 

Briarwood’s Drew Mears diced through Valley’s defense all night. When the ball didn’t drop in his favor, Garett Witherington ate up rebounds. Valley’s defense struggled under the rim. The visitors outscored Valley 20-6 in the quarter. A buzzer-beater put Briarwood up 33-24 at the half.

The Rams went on a run at the top of the third. They drew the score even with a couple of minutes left, but another Briarwood buzzer-beater at the end of the third made it 44-41. The Rams outscored their opponent in the third quarter 16-11 to keep the win within reach. 

Unfortunately, the Rams cooled in the final frame. Briarwood had an answer for Valley’s press, consistently finding guys open down-court. Despite taking tough fouls for free throw opportunities, Valley couldn’t mount a comeback. 

Valley had multiple players break double digits in scoring. Azerion Jennings led the team with 14 points. Erin Frazier and Weaver had 13 and 12 points, respectively. Overall, the Rams had six scorers.