Revamped Valley rolls past Durango

Valley's girls basketball team entered the season in the precarious position of having to replace its entire starting lineup.

So far, so good for the newcomers.

Sophomore guard Gabrielle Cabanero scored 21 points, sophomore forward Kennedy Wharton had 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Valley posted a 57-35 home win over Durango on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams.

"Wharton's the only one who was on the varsity last year who's back," Vikings coach Roger Hansen said. "The rest of them are (junior varsity) kids, and they just stepped up in their first game. This was their first night in the big time, and I thought they did a great job."

Cabanero scored Valley's first 10 points as part of a 13-4 surge to start the game. She finished with 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 at the free-throw line.

"She can shoot inside and outside and take the ball to the hoop," Hansen said of Cabanero, who added seven rebounds and five steals. "We got a start like that which really got us going, and it helped the girls."

Valley began the second quarter on a 12-0 run that spanned more than six minutes to build a 25-7 lead.

Emari Bryant scored 11 points for Valley. Alexa Ard grabbed five rebounds for the Vikings, and 6-foot-2-inch freshman Makayla Hicks contributed five points and two blocks.

Jasmine Thomas paced Durango with 10 points before leaving with apparent leg cramps with 2:56 remaining.

LeeAnn Burton scored seven points for the Trailblazers, and Nakyia Mandy had five points and six steals.