Valley boys’ fast start thwarts Canyon Springs

Valley boys basketball coach Brian Farnsworth wasn’t pleased with the way his team finished Wednesday’s game against Canyon Springs.

But he had no complaints about the way the Vikings started.

Spencer Mathis scored host Valley’s first 10 points, and the Vikings led by 24 points in the first half en route to an 81-71 Northeast League victory over the Pioneers.

“Any game, it’s always easier to play from ahead than behind,” Farnsworth said. “We didn’t do some things real well down the stretch, but any win in conference is a great win for our program.”

Mathis, who sat the final 11:33 of the first half after picking up his second foul, finished with a game-high 23 points. Ryan Johnson added 21 points for first-place Valley (16-6, 5-0 Northeast).

Canyon Springs (11-9, 3-2), which shot 32.6 percent from the field, played without standout point guard Shaquile Carr. The junior was suspended for disciplinary reasons, Pioneers coach Freddie Banks said.

Chris Swanson led Canyon Springs with 17 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter as the Pioneers tried to rally. Chris Nelson added 14 points.

Brandon Edmond’s bucket with 2:35 remaining cut Valley’s lead to 71-62, the first time the Pioneers trailed by single digits since midway through the first quarter. But Daniel Young’s thunderous dunk put Valley on top 73-62 with 1:55 to go, and the Vikings held on.

“We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter, and we couldn’t get out of it,” Banks said. “With (Carr) not being on the floor ... it takes a lot from other players. They need to show me what they can do when he’s not there.”

The Vikings held Canyon Springs to 21.6 percent shooting (8-for-37) in the first half and used a 16-2 run, capped by Johnson’s 3-pointer, to grab a 37-13 lead with 2:50 left in the first half.

The Pioneers chipped away after the break, as Swanson’s three-point play late in the third quarter trimmed the deficit to 51-37. But the 6-foot-8-inch Young began to assert himself in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his 15 points to help keep Canyon Springs at bay.

“To go undefeated during the first round of conference play gives us confidence moving forward,” Farnsworth said. “We got a little happy with the lead we built, and we had to refocus to win the game. They pushed us a little bit, and we responded.”