Strong second quarter leads Napa past Justin-Siena
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
In a game where you play four quarters, one incredible one can go a long way to getting a victory.
That’s exactly what the Napa High girls’ basketball team did during Thursday night’s 46-28 win over Justin-Siena.
The Grizzlies (8-8 overall, 2-1 Vine Valley Athletic League) held a slim one-point advantage following a quarter. However, in the second quarter, Napa outscored Justin-Siena (5-11, 1-2 VVAL) 26-3 to go into the half with a 24-point lead.
The main reason Napa was able to pull away was their defensive intensity, which caused a plethora of turnovers by the Braves.
“(It was) a combination of really good play by Napa. Their defensive intensity and they were winning loose ball battles, so that was a big factor,” Justin-Siena coach Andy Bettencourt said. “And then, I thought our discipline wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. And so those two things and then it just snowballs and when a team like that gets on a run it’s just hard to stop and we couldn’t stop it.”
“I think when we started to be a little more patient, we were driving so much into that zone,” Napa first-year coach Taylor Willis said. “We kind of found those gaps, especially that high elbow to low block. And Grace Sedgley was killing it on that backline and we were seeing it and Hannah (Newman) was having really great passes.”
This win is even more rewarding for the visitors since they dropped a heart-breaker on the same court last season.
“It’s a huge one because we’re in town,” Willis said of the win. “I think it’s it’s almost as big as Big Game, especially with that loss we had last year on this court and I had a loss in JV too, and it hurt. So, I know the girls really wanted to get a win here.
“They are a rival in town, so anything can happen in games like this,” Napa senior guard Anna Ghisletta explained. “But, I thought my team did a really good keeping the energy up tonight and we practiced a lot of defense. So, I thought our defense is really what helped us win the game tonight.”
Even with how strong the Grizzlies played in the second quarter, the second half wasn’t as strong as they were outscored 17-11 by Justin-Siena.
“We went away from what was working and I think we just need to recognize that and have everybody ready to go because we obviously didn’t have the same energy that we did in the second quarter,” Ghisletta added. “But I think that if we keep working on that, we can definitely win both halves.”
“I thought our kids just refocused defensively and we were a little bit more assignment sound,” Bettencourt explained. “We were able to force some misses and limit some second-chance opportunities as well.”
“I think what happens with that is you kind of breakaway in that first half and it’s hard to keep that energy going into the second,” Willis said of the second half. “And that’s something we have to do a better job of. The bench has to do a better job of maintaining that energy and being ready to come in and extend that lead.”
On the night, Napa was led by Sedgley who had 13 points and six rebounds.
“I love grace. She’s always in the right spot,” Willis said of Sedgley’s effort. “Earlier today, I said ‘if Justin zones us Grace is going in and she’s going to be in the right exact spot.’ I think this is probably one of her game highs. But, she always does a great job, so I’m happy for her.”
Ghisletta also had a solid night as well, finishing with 12 points and two rebounds.
“Anna’s really consistent,” Willis pointed out. “The balls in her hand a lot. I think she got a little more aggressive in that second quarter then that first quarter, she was actually going into players instead of backing away and she just always has to do that.”
“I think our ball movement was really good because we were getting that lead from defense and our energy,” Ghisletta said. “I think we had more composure on offense that helped us slow down and run the offense better.”
Napa’s leading rebounder on the night was Hannah Newman who brought in eight of them and scored four points.
The Braves were led by Isabella Wright and Mary Huen who both ended the night with seven points apiece. Wright ended the night by bringing in eight rebounds, while Huen had one.
“They’re both obviously young players that are still finding their way,” Bettencourt said of his scoring leaders. “Mary in the last few games has taken a major step forward, especially with scoring the ball and just her confidence. Bella, we knew going into the season that she was going to be someone that we relied on. We still probably just need more production across the board because 28 points isn’t enough to win at the varsity level. So we’re going to keep working on that and keep going forward.”
Samai Wilson was also a force rebounding the ball as she brought in eight of them and had two points as well.
Justin-Siena will be back in action on Saturday night at 6 p.m. when they host Maria Carillo-Santa Rosa before resuming VVAL play on Thursday night at 7 p.m. when they host Sonoma Valley. As for Napa, they’ll host American Canyon on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
In other VVAL games, Petaluma beat Vintage 52-51 and Casa Grande-Petaluma beat American Canyon 59-23.
