Hard-working Valley becomes threat in Sunrise

It was hard to blame first-year Valley girls basketball coach Roger Hansen for being optimistic at the beginning of the season.

The Vikings returned two All-Northeast League honorees and had a hidden gem who hadn't played varsity basketball for two years, waiting to show what she could do.

But few others outside of Valley's gym expected the Vikings to finish where they did.

The Vikings (22-5) rattled off nine straight wins to end the regular season with a share of the Northeast title and the league's No. 1 seed for the Sunrise Region playoffs, which begin at 6:30 p.m. today. Valley will host Coronado (16-12) in a quarterfinal.

"I thought we had a shot (to win the league)," Hansen said. "But quite frankly, I didn't know Canyon Springs is as good as they are. The kids are just believing in themselves."

Canyon Springs and Valley tied for first at 13-1 in the Northeast, with each team's loss coming to the other. Valley got the league's top seed by virtue of beating the Pioneers in the second meeting -- a 56-45 victory Feb. 7.

The secret to Valley's success isn't really much of a secret. The Vikings aren't big, but they're quick and they work hard.

And the addition of senior guard Shayna Porter certainly has helped.

Porter, who played for Rancho as a freshman, sat out her sophomore year with an injury and missed last season when she transferred to Valley.

She's second on the team in scoring with 12 points per game and leads in assists.

"She fits in great. She just makes us go," Hansen said. "Her ball-handling is fantastic. When something needs to be done, she gets it done."

Sharpshooting senior guard Christina Davis is the team's top scorer at nearly 13 ppg. The Vikings also get huge contributions from seniors Estelle Wilson and Brianna Johnson, who might be the team's top defender.

Johnson had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals in the second meeting with Canyon Springs.

The Vikings, though, will have to be at their best to beat Coronado and break a nasty losing streak by the Northeast. No team in the league has won a playoff game since 2007. Valley hasn't won one since 2005.

The Southeast is widely regarded as a stronger league, and the Vikings haven't gotten much resistance in league play to prepare for the big games. Only three of Valley's 14 league games were decided by fewer than 15 points -- and two of those were against Canyon Springs.

"It's hard for our team to prepare for tough games," Hansen said. "The Southeast has competitive games almost every night. Hopefully that won't hurt us."

The Sunrise semifinals are at 3 and 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Foothill, with the championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at Foothill.

The Sunset semifinals are at 3 and 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Desert Oasis, with the championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at Desert Oasis.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.