Gilbert Christian's boys basketball team has toyed with many a Division III opponent  the past couple of seasons,. Left nearly all of them battered and beaten. This season, however, Valley Christian has proven feisty and gotten in its licks before falling to the defending state champs.

Gilbert Christian ran off 14 unanswered points in a 3 1/2-minute stretch near the end of the opening quarter. That was the impetus Thursday night to a very hard-earned 76-65 victory at Valley Christian High School.

The victory boosted Gilbert Christian to 22-3 for the season and 16-1 in power-ranking games. All three losses are to Division I teams. It also was the Knights third triumph this season over Greg Haagsma's never-say-die Trojans. The first two wins were by scores of 63-58 and 65-59 -- games Gilbert Christian controlled, but were still up for grabs in the final couple minutes. Gilbert Christian got a quick four points in a 12-second span in the final minute to put away Valley Christian. Junior Roberto Reyes, who had missed four free-throws earlier in the game, made two with 1:04 to play and then added a steal and basket with 52 seconds left that stretched a five-point lead to nine.

"This one was a lot like the first two," Gilbert Christian coach Jerome Joseph said. "We had control, but credit to Valley Christian. They are very well coached and they don't give up. We knew that from the first two that was there again tonight.  I think they planned on fouling Roberto and that's what the numbers said. I know he's a better free-throw shooter than he showed and he made some big ones and big play after that."

Gilbert Christian's fast start was due to the hot-shooting in quarter No. 1 from juniors Sam Jones and Keaton Ranger. Jones scored eight of his 23 points in the period and sank two 3s. Ranger  tallied seven of his game-high 26 as the Knights did threaten at times to rout Valley for the first time. Gilbert Christian led by as many as 17 in the first half and kept the margin steadily between 12 and 15.

Valley Christian (16-8, 13-5 prg) was able to stay in the game with offense in the low post from T.J. Widner (team-high 22 points) and complementary perimeter shooting from Brandon Haagsma (15 points). They combined for 20 of VC's 31 first-half points.

VC began making it a game by the middle of the third period. Senior guard Colten Gentry began getting good looks from 3-point range with Gilbert Christian paying close attention to Widner. Gentry erupted for 12 of his 17 points in the quarter. Back-to-back 3s he canned cut the lead under 10 (48-41) for the first time since the first quarter.

"A team that shoots they ball as well as they can can never be counted out," Joseph said. "We did a good job defending the three-point line in the first half. That got away from us some in the second half."

Gilbert Christian bumped the lead back to 66-53 with 5:13 to play in the game, but VC wasn't done yet. VC pecked away and pulled within 70-65 with 1:31 to go on a 3 by Alec Chavez. Forty seconds later Reyes came up with the game-clinching plays that  made it 74-65.

Gilbert Christian closes the season with Thatcher on Friday (Feb. 2). The Knights beat Thatcher last season three times, including winning the state title game vs. the Eagles. Valley Christian finishes up Friday  on the road at Horizon Honors.