Playing its fourth game in six days, the West Valley basketball team ran out of gas in the second half, falling 86-77 to visiting Las Positas Wednesday night.

After taking a 42-31 lead into the locker room at the half, the 8th-ranked Vikings (9-2) were outscored 55-35 by the 10th-ranked Hawks (10-1) in the second half. WVC drained five three-pointers, including two from Leland Estacio, in building its 11-point advantage in the first half. Ben Baker, Quinn Denker, and Mahmoud Fofana all had nine first-half points. 

The Hawks grabbed their first lead at 56-55 at the 9:36 mark on an Isaiah Victor three. The teams traded baskets until the final three minutes when LPC went up for good at 77-75. Seven free throws in the final minute sealed the win for the Hawks.

Denker led the Vikings with 23 points, including 14 after the break, while Baker had 13. Fofana finished with 11 and Adam Afifi had 10, all in the second half. Dathan Satchell paced LPC with 20 points, and Lee Jones, Jr. had 19.

The Vikings hit the road for a Dec. 11 game at Alameda (1-5), before returning the Saratoga Dec.17-18 for the 2021 West Valley Holiday Classic. WVC takes on Folsom Lake (3-5) Dec. 17 at 3:00pm and Lassen (1-10) at 1:00pm on the 18th.