COLLINSVILLE - Taurean Valentine, a senior guard and forward for the Granite City High boys basketball team. scored eight points in the Warriors' 52-47 overtime win over Mundelein on Dec. 28, 2024, Granite's win in this year's Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic, but it was an important win, as the Warriors kept plugging away, and took the close game in the consolation quarterfinals.
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Valentine is currently averaging 4.5 points, and 3.8 rebounds-per-game, going along with a team-leading 24 assists and also making 10 steals, second most on the Warriors thus far. He helps provide leadership and encouragement to his teammates, many of whom didn't have varsity experience before this season.
Valentine is a Stillwater Senior Living Male Athlete of the Month for the Warriors.
In a postgame interview after the win over the Mustangs, Valentine felt good about the Granite win, and was also quick to praise his teammates for their help.
"I"m feeling good," Valentine said. "There's not really much I can say, we hit big-time shots, and I hit a lot of big-time shots. My guys, I've got to give it to them. They were my help; I can't do it by myself. So, we've got Evan (Brewer), Javy (Cass), a bunch of guys, great players. They did what they had to do on the court to get the win."
To Mundelein's credit, the Mustangs also came back to take the lead at times, and make a game of it. The Warriors made the plays they needed to near the end, and it was a key factor in the game.
"Mundelein, they are a great team, honestly," Valentine said. They hit big-time shots, a lot of big-time shots, and it's what caused us to go into overtime. We handled back, and we made sure we stood our ground."
The Warriors, who are now 5-10 after the tournament, and having graduated nine seniors the year before, the team is young, but picking up experience with every game. A win such as the one over Mundelein could help Granite start to turn the corner. Valentine is taking things as they come, one step at a time.
"I'm just taking it step-by-step," Valentine said, "and day-by-day, honestly. In practice, that's where it starts, basically. That's kind of where it starts, so honestly, I'm just taking practice, day-by-day, building, until I can get to that peak.'
As the calendar is about to turn into the new year, and as games become even more important in January and February, Valentine has some goals and ambitions for himself and his team.
"We're looking to get better," Valentine said. "To get better. This is a young group, so to get better throughout the season, when January comes, we start to get better more, and we get to play more teams. Regionals start to come up, so we're getting ready. I feel like these guys are way better than they were at the beginning of our season."
Valentine does feel very confident of the Warriors breaking through and having a good second half of the season.
"Yes, sir," Valentine said. "I feel great about the rest of the season."
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