Polk’s big night, late-game execution key in Vintage’s victory over Justin-Siena
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Anastasia Busby (VHS Yearbook)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
It was a battle of two Napa rivals who are separated by only a mile from each other.
It was also a must-win game for both teams to try to change the course of their league seasons.
In the end though, Vintage escaped with a 54-43 victory over Justin-Siena.
“I thought we played big,” Vintage coach Rob Johnson said of the what his team did well in the game. “We definitely had the size against them in the first half, and we kind of capitalized on that. We lost a little track in the beginning of the second half, but closed it out well.”
“It’s great,” Vintage senior forward Grant Polk said of picking up the win. “This is our second win, we really needed it. We were on a four-game losing streak coming in, so it’s really great to come back and beat a rival.”
Even though it’s not the rivalry like, for example, Big Game it is still a win that gives Vintage some satisfaction.
“Especially since they’re right across the highway, it feels great to beat someone, finally,” Polk explained.
There were many points in the contest when the lead switched hands, but thanks to late-game execution and a few threes from senior guard Jared Rendon the Crushers (7-11 overall, 2-4 Vine Valley Athletic League) were able to pull away to get the crucial victory.
“He’s our senior leader, and I expect him to make those decisions at those times,” Johnson said of Rendon’s good fourth quarter. “And I trust him with the ball. But everybody else played solid.”
“That first half, that was probably one of the best halves we’ve had this entire year,” Polk emphasized. “We were able to play well, we were able to find the open man, and we played great defense. It was a really great first half.”
As for Justin-Siena (10-10, 0-6 VVAL) it was one of their best efforts of the league season, even in the wake of defeat.
“Our defense was good. We were executing on offensively, doing some good things,” Justin-Siena coach David Granucci said of what kept his team in the game. “We’re a good team. I don’t care what the record says in our league. We’re a solid, tough team to play, I think the teams in this league know that. So, what keeps us in games is the fact that we play together, we defend the heck out of it, our guys play with passion. They play with passion, they play with emotion. We’ve just got to make sure we play with emotion and we channel that towards winning all the time, not worrying about things outside of what we can control.”
“Their ball movement is very, very good,” Polk said of what kept the Braves in the contest. “They were able to find the open man. They were really good at passing the ball and that got them open and that’s how they were able to get their shots.”
“They did a good job working,” Johnson said of the Braves. “Those kids played hard, so I really respect that. They never give up, so they kept going, they kept going, kept going, and as we had a little bit of a time when we had a little bit of a slump they just capitalized on it. So, my hats off to them and their work ethic and coach, and the school. So, that’s what they did to keep themselves in the game. I was happy that we were able to do what we were supposed to do and finish up the game at the end.”
On the night Vintage was led by who Polk had 16 points and 12 rebounds on the night, but maybe even more impressive he had 14 points and nine rebounds at the half.
“I was just able to find an area where I could plant myself, box out, and I was able to get the short bounces and I was able to put it back up with ease,” Polk said of his big night.
“Grant can do that at will when we’re feeding him the ball and everybody’s collapsing,” Johnson explained of the senior. “You know he’s a big kid, so he’s able to take advantage of it.”
Rendon also added 14 points and six rebounds for the Crushers.
As for the Braves, they were led by junior guard Liam McDevitt who had 14 points and three rebounds. Kevin Galvin and Solomone Anitoni each added nine points on the night.
“I expect him to make shots for us, that’s for sure,” Granucci said of McDevitt. “I mean he had 27 two nights ago, so he had a big night the other night. We need him to make shots for us, but we also need him defend, rebound, do the non-negotiable things, and he’s really starting to do those and take pride in those. He’s a guy that helps our offense, helps us get a flow and fluidity to what we do offensively, so him making shots is always good.”
Both teams will begin the second round of round-robin VVAL play on Friday at 7 p.m. Vintage will head to Petaluma for a meeting with Casa Grande, and Justin-Siena will go to Southern Napa County for a game with American Canyon. Vintage beat Casa Grande 50-45 on December 19th to open league play, while Justin-Siena lost to American Canyon, 47-40, in their league opener.
