Napa’s strong defense in second half leads them past American Canyon
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Sometimes the games you’re supposed to win can be harder than you originally thought it would end up being.
That’s exactly what happened to the Napa High girls basketball team in their 50-39 victory over American Canyon on Tuesday night.
The Grizzlies (9-8 overall, 3-1 Vine Valley Athletic League) started the game hot by jumping out to a ten-point advantage after a quarter, thanks in large part to their ball movement.
“We were really confident coming out,” Napa coach Taylor Willis said. “I think we had a good warm-up. We came out strong in our presses.”
However, the second quarter is where things unraveled a bit for them. In the second, the Wolves (7-11, 0-3 VVAL) caught fire and went into the half only down by a point, 31-30.
“What I think happened in the second was they made adjustments,” Willis continued. “In the second, we got a little complacent I think.”
Another problem for Napa in the second quarter was their turnovers.
“We had 12 turnovers in the first (half) and that was a big reason,” Willis pointed out. “(They were) just silly turnovers, unforced turnovers, traveling, throwing the ball out of bounds. There was a really big emphasis at halftime when I was talking to them that we have to cut those turnovers.”
Despite the ugly second quarter, Willis was still pleased with the perseverance of her team.
“I think we were able to make an adjustment in the second half,” she explained. “Number three (Trinity Billingsley) was killing us. So, we went to that two-three (zone) and we haven’t really practiced it and I think they did a really good job.”
In the second half, Napa held American Canyon to only nine points.
It also helped that the Grizzlies had two scorers in double figures for the night. Leading the way was senior guard Anna Ghisletta with 14 points and three rebounds.
“Anna is always going hard,” Willis explained. “She’s always ready to go.”
Also having a solid night was junior center Julie Solomon who scored ten points, all of which came in the first quarter to go along with five boards.
“I think this is definitely one of her best games,” Willis said of Solomon’s night. “When she gets confident and she says ‘I’m going to the basket’ she’s really scary.”
Leading the way on the glass for Napa was Maizy Armstrong-Brown who brought in 11 rebounds and scored six points on the night.
Both teams will continue VVAL play on Thursday night at 7 p.m. American Canyon will host Petaluma. As for Napa, they’ll travel to crosstown rival Vintage for the first Big Game of the season.
“I’m expect expecting a really fun game,” Willis said of her first Big Game as the varsity coach. “The game’s always fun. There’s so much energy. It’s so loud. I don’t think anyone’s gonna be able to hear me. But the girls are gonna come out ready to go. They want that win.
Last season’s Big Game played at Vintage was a very memorable one. Vintage won 61-56 in a double-overtime classic. The Grizzlies will also attempt to end a five-game losing streak to their rivals dating back to the 2016-2017 season.
In other VVAL games Tuesday night, Sonoma Valley beat Vintage 34-22 and Casa Grande beat their crosstown rival Petaluma 63-48.
