Colfax stays unbeaten in PVL with win over Bear River

The Colfax High School boys basketball team used balance, depth and defense to pull away from Bear River for a 68-53 Pioneer Valley League victory Friday night. The win was Colfax's third in a row in the rivalry and its fifth in the past six meetings. Colfax is now one of two remaining PVL teams without a loss. Coach Devin Ginty said the Falcons' 5-0 PVL record reflects the work his team put in long before league play tipped off and it comes as no surprise. "I'm proud of their approach," Ginty said. "They're a fun group to work with and they really love basketball. Their passion for the game shows when they play. We've got a good, balanced, skilled team, and it's fun to see them put it together. It's not a surprise to us because we know what this team is capable of." Colfax's depth was on full display with eight of nine players scoring and three finishing in double figures. Ginty said that balance makes the Falcons difficult to prepare for on a game-to-game basis. "We don't have a ton of numbers, but our numbers are strong," Ginty said. "We're deep, and when guys are truly selfless, that's when we're at our best. We saw it earlier (last) week with 24 assists on 29 baskets against Mira Loma. When this team plays like that, it's really fun to watch. All our guys are ready, and they trust each other when their name is called." Junior Sylas Lotito led the Falcons with a game-high 18 points. Lotito is not the biggest presence on the floor, but he attacked the basket aggressively and gave the Bruins fits inside defensively. Ginty credited Lotito's aggression to his competitiveness and the work he put in last offseason. "That's the main thing I've always loved about Sylas is his competitive nature," Ginty said. "He puts a ton of work in. Hearing people talk about how well he's attacking the basket is really cool, because that's something he worked hard on this offseason. When guys put in the time and then see the results, that's a great lesson. And a lot of that is opened up by his teammates, too." Colfax senior Caleb Edlund complemented Lotito's performance with 16 points while sophomore Kyler Simpton added 11, including three on a shot in the final seconds of the first half that extended Colfax's lead to double digits. Defensively, Colfax made Bear River work for nearly every look. Kyle Smith led the Bruins with 16 points, but few came easily, as the Falcons leaned on their defensive identity to control the game. "Defense is always where we start," Ginty said. "We pride ourselves on holding teams to low numbers, and when things are a little off offensively, we're always going to rely on the defensive end. It's led by our seniors. Carson Lynch is one of the fastest on-ball defenders I've ever coached, and Ian Dunleavy does all the little dirty work that never shows up in the stat book. Caleb Edlund has improved his defensive game a lot and has become a strong two-way player." Colfax (16-3 overall) now turns its attention to a pivotal matchup at Oakmont (18-1, 4-1) on Wednesday, where the Falcons will face a team coming off its first loss of the season; the Vikings fell to Marysville 59-54 on Friday. "We've got to stay hungry," Ginty said. "Our philosophy is always being the aggressor and making other teams adjust to us. We'll need to raise our physicality on the offensive end because they're a strong defensive team with some bigger, stronger guys. I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond." Bear River (11-8, 3-2) will look to bounce back from back-to-back league losses on Wednesday at home against Marysville (14-4, 5-0).