Senior Cara McKell leads Valencia girls basketball to rout of West Ranch

VALENCIA — Valencia girls basketball defeated West Ranch 69-30 on Friday night, continuing its undefeated league run and showing what it could do in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

The Vikings (22-4, 10-0) were led by senior Cara McKell, who scored 20 points in the victory on senior night.

Valencia coach Jared Honig credited the senior class with helping jump-start a program that went 7-17 the season before they arrived.

“Yeah, definitely an emotional night having Cara, four-year varsity player, and Cayden (Senegal), three-year varsity player, moving on after this season,” Honig said, “but they just really helped build it back up.”

“I got here; they were part of the foundation that’s taking us to new heights. They just work so hard, really committed and they’re great teammates, great friends so it’s fun to see.”

Valencia went on a 12-0 run in the last three and a half minutes of the first quarter to take a 21-8 lead after one and went into halftime leading 47-28 before outscoring West Ranch 23-6 in the third quarter.

Honig praised freshman point guard Sophia Sarkar, who had 13 points in the win.

“She plays with a lot of maturity, like beyond her freshman year,” Honig said. “She was a really experienced player before she got here so it’s nice that she’s fit in so nicely and led the way. She takes care of the ball, she hits big shots, and always plays tough defense.”

Sophomore wing Kamilla Basyrova scored 14 points and shot 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in the win, continuing a standout season for her after she scored her 1,000th career point in their last game against Castaic.

For West Ranch, senior forward Maia Garrison put up 15 points and was the Wildcats’ leading scorer.

On a night that started with senior night celebrations and ended with a Vikings’ win in the last game that they’re guaranteed to play on their home court, McKell reflected on the legacy she hoped to leave behind, wiping away a tear.

“Valencia’s been a crazy and amazing experience,” McKell said. “I’m just so happy that I got to spend my four years here and I hope that my underclassmen will remember me and the fight I fought in the games.”

McKell said she wants to finish her senior season on good terms.

“I’m excited. We have two more games left and I wanna get far in playoffs and do the best we can and finish my senior year on a good note.”