Carter sparks Valley boys to victory over Las Vegas

As Valley High’s Caleb Carter was introduced as part of the school’s Senior Night festivities prior to Friday’s game, he was surrounded by his teammates, who chanted “MVP.”

He looked like the Most Valuable Player once he took the floor.

Carter had 20 points and 14 rebounds to help the Vikings come from behind for an 89-77 home win over Las Vegas.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Carter said of playing his final regular-season home game. “I’m just hoping we get to play here again during the playoffs.”

Carter helped spark a second-half comeback, as he had 12 points and 11 rebounds after halftime. And when he scooped up a loose ball and went in for a slam with two seconds to play, he punctuated the key Northeast League win.

Las Vegas (17-7, 9-3) took control early and led 63-55 entering the fourth quarter.

But the Vikings (20-5, 11-1) turned up the heat defensively and capitalized on offense to make the comeback.

“I told the guys 'just keep sticking with it, and they’re not going to hit that many shots in the second half,’ ” Valley coach Brian Farnsworth said. “Our guys buckled down on (defense) and got one stop at a time and got things rolling on offense.”

Las Vegas was 6-for-11 on 3-pointers in the first half to help build a 48-41 halftime lead. But the Wildcats made 2 of 11 3-point attempts after halftime. Valley, meanwhile, heated up from the perimeter, making 4 of 5 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

None was bigger than Ryan Johnson’s transition 3-pointer form the right corner with 4:11 to go that tied the game at 72. Johnson was fouled on the play, and even though he missed the foul shot, the play ignited the Valley crowd.

“The fans were part of this win, too,” Farnsworth said. “Our crowd was so good tonight, it could be felt outside the gym. It was rocking in there, and that shot with the foul on the 3-pointer got the fans going, and we just rode that to the end.”

The Vikings forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, with Johnson feeding Keanu Peters for a layup that gave Valley the lead for good.

Johnson finished with 22 points and four assists. Chris Swanson had 18 points for Valley, and Anthony Chapple had 10 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Hasaan Henderson led Las Vegas with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Juwan Major added 16 points, Phil Dunigan 15 and Traven Yancey 14 for the Wildcats.

“The kids, they’re focused every game,” Farnsworth said. “They come ready to play every game, and they’re not done yet. They have a lot more work to go, and they’re going to come ready to play on Tuesday.”