Seniors Romeo Valenzuela and Tyler Behrend led Valley Lutheran to a win on Tuesday, 73-47 over Salome. 

Salome started off with the first points in the contest with two back to back layups.  Salome started the game playing a full court press. 

VLHS broke the press for their first points, Behrend with a three-pointer.  Valley Lutheran got rebounds with an ease with its size advantage.

It was a fast-paced game in the first quarter with Salome staying in the full court press hoping to use their speed against the bigger players.  Salome resorted to the 2-3 zone to conserve energy and quell a run

The first quarter ended with a huge steal and dunk by Behrend, giving Valley Lutheran a 22-16 lead to end the first quarter.

Salome started resorting to teardrop shots because of the size of Valley Lutheran.

The second quarter started off with an offensive rebound and layup for Behrend. 

Good ball movement is helped Salome stay in the game and keep it competitive.  Behrend hit a three-point-shot to give the Flames their first double-digit lead.

 At halftime, Valley Lutheran led 41-28 with dominance on the glass and numerous offensive rebounds. 

Valley Lutheran was on a six-game win streak coming into the game.  The Flames will hope to bring that energy into the regional tournament, which Valley Lutheran is hosting.  Salome is also aiming for the postseason.

The second half saw Valley Lutheran go a little stagnant on offense.

Behrend stops the skid with a big three-pointer.  “We will work hard,” said coach Bob Koehne.  “You can maybe do this today but do you want to be doing this in the state playoff?”

Valenzuela shpwed some quality footwork in the paint that allowed him to score some acrobatic lay-ups. 

The Flames adjusted to the zone defense and were in control late in the third quarter. A steal at the end of the third led to an easy layup for Behrend, then on a defensive rebound Behrend pushed the ball and found a wide-open man to give Valley Lutheran a 20-point lead going into the final quarter.

The senior duo of Valenzuela and Behrend came out with more than four minutes left in the game, to a big fan applause. 

The game was fast-paced but when it came down to the athleticism and height of Valley Lutheran, that was too much for Salome to overcome. 

“We hung with them in the first half,” said coach Zachary Clough.  “But talent always shows up.” 

Last time they only scored 28 points all game,” said Koehne.  “This time they (the Flames) scored that in the first half.”