Sloppy third quarter comes back to haunt Napa in loss to Heritage
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
In high school basketball, you have to put together four quarters to get a victory.
So far this season, that’s something the Napa High boys basketball team has struggled to do.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened to them in their 60-51 loss to Heritage-Brentwood.
The game started off well for the Grizzlies (2-6), as they opened up the game by going on an 8-2 run.
At half and after a quarter, Napa only trailed by two points.
But the second half was when things got away from them. Part of the problem was that the Grizzlies only scored five points in the third quarter.
However, it was the first time this season where Napa had three scorers in double-figures for the night. Brayden Greenlee led the way with 18 points and five rebounds. Jack Hunter added 14 points with three rebounds. Finally, Danny Ruiz ended the evening with 11 points and rebound.
Yet, the problem for Napa is getting consistency from their scorers.
“We’re still trying to figure it out (offensively),” Napa coach Zack Cook explained. “Tyler (Oda) had an off night. Usually, we get eight to fourteen from him, but he’s sick. We’ve got three or four guys sick along with some injuries. Our lineups have been inconsistent. Shot attempts have been inconsistent. And then third quarter when you turn the ball over six times in a close game we’re just not good enough to do that and win games.”
The Grizzlies will have some more tough games ahead of them next week. On Tuesday, they’ll visit former Monticello Empire League Vacaville at 7 p.m. Last season, Napa beat Vacaville by a score of 58-25.
“They’re a lot better this year,” Cook said of the Bulldogs. “They’re 5-2 or something like that, so we’ve got to keep grinding and pull out some wins for league.”
Then, on Friday they’ll visit Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa. In last week’s Wine Valley Tournament, Cardinal Newman beat Vintage 51-48.
“They’re always a great team to play,” Cook said if facing Newman. “Great program, great coach.”
