By MATTHEW STRATTON
Special to the Leader
It has been a shaky start to the 2013-14 basketball season for the Lucerne Valley High School boys varsity team.
The Mustangs, who entered the season with high hopes, were coming off back to back Agape League road losses last week, and in the process dropped their overall record below. 500. Tuesday night at LVHS’s Brian L. Walker gymnasium, things were looking even bleaker for the home team as a visiting Antelope Valley Christian Eagles squad blitzed the Mustangs in the first half.
Turnovers, missed shots, and defensive lapses followed Lucerne Valley from the previous week’s road trip. And to make matters even worse, the Mustangs leading scorer was relegated to the bench for nearly the entire first half. As the buzzer sounded, a stunned Mustangs team somberly made their way to the locker room facing a seemingly insurmountable 27-point halftime deficit and a season that was not so slowly slipping from their grasp.
A loss and an 0-3 start in league play would certainly dash any remaining hopes the Mustangs might have had at an Agape League title. Some of the fans in attendance left early as Lucerne Valley could only muster 9 points through the first two quarters of play.
But, as the saying goes: a funny thing happened on the way to the Forum, or, in this case, on the way to the end of the game. First year head coach Stephen Warnock rallied his players at the break, inserted Lonye Logan back into the lineup, and made some much needed adjustments as Lucerne Valley opened the third quarter defensively pressuring the ball.
With Logan back in, the team and the gym suddenly had the energy so visibly lacking in the first half. Mustangs’ senior captain Daniel Stratton led a furious second half rebounding frenzy as Lucerne Valley hammered the boards against a much taller and bigger opponent.
Stratton collected 12 boards contributing heavily to his 29-point outburst. Stratton was also ice from the charity stripe down the stretch as he consistently knocked down pressure free throws to cut into the Eagles lead.
“Last week was tough for us as a team and Friday’s game at Hesperia Christian was especially tough for me individually,” Stratton said after the game. “I certainly did not play up to my abilities and it cost us. Tonight didn’t start much better but I think we’ve proven the last few years that Lucerne Valley athletics are pretty resilient, no matter the sport. We stuck together and kept playing as a team even when it didn’t look good and, in the end, we had different players step up and make some key plays. It’s definitely not how we envisioned it playing out, but it was a big win.”
One of those key plays was turned in by shooting guard Kenny Kaiser. The senior struggled from the floor most of the evening but, when it counted most, Kaiser knocked down the biggest shot of the game. Trailing by two points with just over a minute remaining Stratton rebounded an Eagles miss and pushed the ball up the floor. He found Kaiser behind the three point arc in front of the Mustangs bench who promptly buried the three pointer and the Mustangs had made the improbable climb all the way back.
The fans that remained turned Brian L. Walker gymnasium into a raucous environment. Logan would foul out on the ensuing Antelope Valley possession but the Lucerne Valley star had made his impact, which cannot be measured by statistics. However, for playing only one half, the statistics were still impressive. The senior guard tallied 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals in sparking one of the biggest comebacks in school history.
Lucerne Valley followed up the riveting win by holding on against an upstart Victor Valley Christian team Friday night. The Mustangs held what seemed a comfortable 19 point halftime lead but that was dwindled down to just six points midway through the fourth quarter before the Mustangs came away with the win 51 to 40.
Daniel Stratton turned in a stat stuffing performance with 14 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Logan notched 16 points and sophomore forward Zack Mejia added 8 rebounds of his own.
Up next for Lucerne Valley is a Tuesday road trip to Agape League rival Apple Valley Christian before coming back home next Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m., to host Bethel Christian. Bethel defeated the Mustangs in their first contest earlier this season. Come out and support your Mustangs!