The third time is a charm for Valley.
Making their third appearance ever at the UIL boys state tournament, the Patriots dominated Fayetteville in every which way to capture a 66-48 win on Thursday morning at the Alamodome in San Antonio to clam the Class 1A Division I state championship.
“We fell last year and this group of young men decided they wanted to be the last team standing team this year,” Valley head coach Aaron Green said. “The boys did a phenomenal job of executing and limiting them to one shot for the most part which was big for us.”
Sophomore Corbin Taylor, the MVP of the state game, was unstoppable, posting a double-double with 26 points to go with 10 rebounds to help Valley (31-4 overall) avenge last year’s loss in the state title game to Perrin-Whitt with an impressive win over the Lions.
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Holding the Lions (32-7) to one shot played a pivotal part in the victory for the Patriots. Out rebounding Fayetteville 36-16, Valley left the Lions with very few second chance points, two to be exact, for the entire game.
Experience from last year’s game played a key role in the Patriots getting off to a hot start. Midway through the first, Valley held an 11-6 lead after Taylor flushed one home. However, the Lions started to find their stroke knocking down two balls from behind the arc to cut the lead to 13-11 with 2:06 left in the first.
Damian Valdes, an underrated piece of this state title team, made a strong drive to the basket late in the quarter and then hit a short pull up jumper to give the Patriots a 15-11 lead after one. That shot started an 11-0 run for Valley as Carson Tucker tipped in a shot then nailed a jumper in the second quarter to ignite the offense for the Patriots.
Buoyed by Tucker’s seven points in that quarter, Valley took a 30-15 lead to the locker room at half but Green was weary of the Lions and their ability to shoot outside.
“Fayetteville can really light it up from the outside was what we talked about,” Green said. “We knew a big lead could disappear in a hurry. I told the boys they had to keep their foot on the gas and keep attacking them. A 15-point lead was only five possessions and that could disappear quickly.”
The Lions started the quarter off on a good note as Kasen Kocian buried a corner three to start the half which was Green’s fear. That momentum, however, was short lived thanks to the game’s MVP.
After Valley missed a short shot, Taylor rose above the crowd for a tip-in dunk that gave the Patriots a quick boost of energy. Valley ballooned the lead out to 20 after Taylor converted a shot under the basket with half the third quarter gone and the Patriots could feel a state title in their grasp.
Valley pushed the lead to as much as 27 down the stretch before the Lions finally began hitting shots when the game was already decided.
Taylor, capturing the MVP as a sophomore, reflected on the team’s drive this year.
“We worked really hard for this,” Corbin said. “We knew what we wanted and left here last year with a sour taste in our mouth. We were looking for revenge this year”.
Revenge was sweet for Valley as they outscored Fayetteville in the paint, 42-18, while shooting 58.7 percent from the field including 38.5 percent behind the arc. The defense was also effective holding the Lions to a 38.7 percent shooting percentage and 24.1 percent from three, as Fayetteville went 7-of-29 from deep in total.
Taylor’s older brother Kanyon, to go along with Tucker, played a big role in the Patriots domination. Kanyon finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds while Tucker chipped in 13 and pulled down eight boards as well.
Green, who has led Valley to 65 wins over the past two years, summed up the town’s first ever boys state basketball title well.
“It’s incredible to be able to finish this off and do it right,” said Green, who has led Valley to 65 wins over the past two years. “Sending our seniors off on a great note and giving all of them something they will remember for the rest of their life”.
For a look at the full boxscore from Valley’s state championship win, please visit https://www.uiltexas.org/files/athletics/state-basketball/boxscores-boys/26BB1AD1.pdf