Paloma Valley Loses Tournament Game, in Action Again Today

By Patricia Sanchez

The Paloma Valley High School boys basketball team suffered an 84-48 loss Friday against Tahquitz High School in their second game of the Paloma Valley Winter Shootout tournament.

The loss followed a 69-53 win over Carter High on Thursday. Head coach Michael Pfeiffer said that the team played well in both games, but couldn’t match the physicality of Tahquitz.

"They were a bigger and more physical team," said Pfeiffer. "It’s hard to play through that kind of physicality and our team just couldn’t do much against it."

Led by forward Chris Owens, the Wildcats got several good looks at the basket early in the game but eventually couldn't keep up with Tahquitz.

Center Nicholas Pete led Tahquitz scorers with 15 points and guard Logan Bloomer added 14. Three other players had 12 points each for the winners, Pete scored a slam dunk in the first quarter and continued to have consistent shots throughout the game, including several 3-pointers.

Forward London Hoxie led Paloma Valley scorers with 15 points. Guard DeMarco Prewitt added 10 for the Wildcats.

Pfeiffer said that his players did their best against the Titans and took a lot of shots, but unlike Tahquitz, the Wildcats weren’t able to score consistently. By the end of the second quarter, the Wildcats were down 44-23.

"They [Tahquitz] shot a lot and scored," said Pfeiffer."“We got the shots and chances we wanted. They just didn’t go in."

Along with not putting points on the scoreboard, Pfeiffer noted that he had a lot of young players on the team, but the experience of playing such a physical team was a good experience for his players.

"We were starting three sophomores," said Pfeiffer. "We have a young team and this [the game against Tahquitz] is the kind of experience they need."

The tournament held at Paloma Valley High School will continue today, with the Wildcats playing at 4:30 p.m. against the Canyon Springs High School Cougars.