#1 Ranked Vikings (18-0) Hold Off SJCC In Thriller Matchup, Defeat Hartnell At Home To Start Conference 2-0

Saratoga, Calif. – West Valley College Men's Basketball started off conference play this past week, holding off cross-town rivals San Jose City College in a thriller 65-61 victory on the road Wednesday night. The anticipated matchup came down to the Vikings making some key winning plays down the stretch. With Elijah Mahi & Shakir Odunewu knocking down clutch free-throws to seal the game, Joe Brown and Noah Yang's defensive effort proved to be the difference for the Vikings in the final minute to help secure the victory.

Elijah Mahi, Shakir Odunewu, and Baron Bracey each scored 10 or more points and combined for 49 points in the victory. 

The Vikings held the Jaguars to just 25.6 percent (10-of-39) from beyond the arc.

Mahi led the way with 22 points & 5 rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting, including a 5-for-7 mark from the charity stripe. This was the second straight game with 20 or more points with 5 or more rebounds for the sophomore forward. 

Shakir Odunewu tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and a block, his fifth straight game with a double-double. Odunewu has scored in double-digits in every game this season. Baron Bracey turned in an efficient night with 12 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists. Bracey shot 5-of-9 from the floor, including 2-for-5 from deep.

Aaron Ragen (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal), quietly contributed greatly to the win, knocking down huge shots in the second half. 

On Friday night, the Vikings faced off against Hartnell College at home and came out victorious in a 86-49 blowout win, improving to 7-0 at home and 18-0 overall on the season. West Valley College remains the only undefeated team in the state with their 18th straight win. 

West Valley quickly found themselves with a double-digit lead to start the first 10 minutes of the game (20-10). The lead went up to as much as 18 points with Ariya Briscoe knocking down free throws in the final minute of the first half to take a 44-26 lead.

Sophomore Darrius Kendall led the team with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a career-high 5 steals. Kendall shot 6-of-8 from the field, and went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Jake Davis each came up with 11 points and three rebounds. Davis added on three rebounds, three assists, and a steal to his stat line while shooting 40% (2-for-5) from deep. 

The Vikings shot 53.9 percent for the night and knocked down 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from deep.

Freshmen Joe Brown (9 points, 6 rebounds), Moulaye Soumare (8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), Robel Zemmo (8 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal), and Kosi Warren-House (4 points, 4 rebounds, & 1 steal) each stepped up in the win over the Panthers.

The Vikings will continue to roll, returning to action on Wednesday night (Jan. 17) at home and will matchup against #8 Ranked Cabrillo. The game is set for a 5:30 P.M. PT tip and will be live-streamed on the West Valley College Athletics YouTube page.