Fountain Valley reaches NJB final

The Fountain Valley 8th-grade basketball team reached the title

game of the National Junior Basketball Division I tournament, but fell

short in its bid to win the title as Bakersfield held on for a 62-56

victory.

Drew Petersen led the Fountain Valley charge in the championship game

with 20 points.

Fountain Valley reached the final by posting wins over Sacramento (69-66)

and Flagstaff, Ariz. (66-58).

Guard Ricky Hagen led Fountain Valley in the victory over Sacramento with

a game-high 20 points, Petersen had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Nguyen

Dau also hit double figures with 18 points.

In topping Flagstaff, Petersen again scored 16 points with 12 rebounds,

Hagen finished with 16 points, and Dau had 16.

“We met the challenge against a big, strong Sacramento team, played out

hearts out to beat Flagstaff, but our shots just wouldn’t fall against

Bakersfield,” Fountain Valley Coach Rick Hagen said. “But, we played

liked champions. It’s been an incredible ride.”