#1 Ranked Undefeated Vikings (23-0) Keep Rolling, Wins over #18 SJCC and Foothill on the Road
Saratoga, Calif. - The undefeated Vikings kept their winning streak alive after defeating Foothill College on the road, and #18 Ranked SJCC in a highly anticipated rematch at home this past week. The West Valley College Men's Basketball team remains undefeated as the #1 ranked team in the state and has now won 23 straight games in their historic season. WVC is one of only two institutions of higher learning in the country that remains unbeaten.
West Valley College blew out Foothill College on the road in a 100-82 victory on Wednesday evening, led by Shakir Odunewu with his first 31 point performance on the season. Odunewu shot a whopping 92.9% going 13-for-14 from the field, and had eight rebounds, two assists, and a block to add to his stellar performance. The Viking big man was unstoppable and dominated the paint all night long.
As they've done all season, the sophomore trio of Elijah Mahi, Jeremiah Dargan, and Baron Bracey combined for 51 points to help lead the way. Mahi was 8-for-11 from the floor (72.7%) while also pulling down six rebounds and had seven assists, and a steal. Dargan had 20 points, six rebounds and a season-high five steals while shooting 75% (3-for-4) from deep. Bracey scored 11 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, and a block.
West Valley shot the ball well at a 67.2 percent clip (39-of-58), including a 57.1 percent mark from 3-point distance to breeze past Foothill.
It was a true tale of two halves for West Valley College Men's Basketball on Friday evening against SJCC. One half saw the Vikings struggle to maintain a lead while the other half saw a rejuvenated offense with Sophomore Elijah Mahi showcasing his talent, helping the Vikes take care of business against the Jaguars. The Vikings erased the Jaguar's first half lead en route to picking up a big 76-70 victory over #5 San Jose City College.
Trailing by 3 (34-37) at the half, sophomore Elijah Mahi, who had 10 points in the first half, put the team on his back by going off for 27 points in the second half and helped the Vikings take back the lead. Ariya Briscoe and Baron Bracey led the Vikes lockdown defense, holding the Jaguars to only five points scored with 9:15 left in the second. West Valley's 23-5 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half built up their momentum and were able to maintain the lead the rest of the game.
San Jose City didn't go down without a fight as they prevented the Vikings from extending it past a 13-point deficit. The Jaguars were able to come back within five points late in the second half, but the Vikings knocked down free throws and eventually defeated San Jose 76-70.
Sophomore forward Elijah Mahi led all scorers with a career and season-high 37 points, pulling down three rebounds, an assist, and a pair of blocks. The Santa Clara University commit shot 11-for-18 from the field (61.1%), and went 15-for-20 from the free-throw line shooting 75 percent. This was Mahi's second game of 30 or more points this season and his fifth career 30 plus point game for West Valley.
Jeremiah Dargan added 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals in the Vikings big win. The sophomore finished with a couple three bombs, one of which helped lead the opening run in the second half to spark West Valley's offense. Shakir Odunewu finished with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting with five rebounds while shooting 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Starting guard Baron Bracey helped contribute with his dominant defensive play, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists.
West Valley finished the game shooting 23-for-47 from the floor (48.9 percent) and left the fans in awe witnessing one of the best games of the year.
The Road-Warriors are back in action Wednesday night (Feb. 7) to continue their undefeated season and will matchup at Hartnell College. Friday the Vikings head to Aptos to take on the 7th ranked team in the state, Cabrillo College.