Napa prevails in defensive battle over Vintage to snap five-game Big Game losing streak
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
It’s always rewarding when you can end a losing streak against an opponent.
But, it’s even sweeter when it comes against your crosstown rival.
That’s what the Napa High girls basketball team did on Thursday night when they beat Vintage 46-39 to end a five-game losing streak they had that dated back to the 2016-2017 season.
“This feels very good,” Napa senior guard Anna Ghisletta explained. “I wanted this so bad because I haven’t won since my freshman year. I thought our team worked super hard.”
“We’re so excited,” Napa coach Taylor Willis added. “I didn’t feel for a second we were gonna lose that game. I know it was a close game all the way through. But I know my team and I knew the energy we were going to bring in the second half and we brought it.”
Yet, it didn’t come easily for the Grizzlies (10-8 overall, 4-1 Vine Valley Athletic League).
They held a slim two-point edge after a quarter, before going into the half with the Crushers (6-12, 1-4 VVAL) up by two.
“We just made a few adjustments,” Willis said of the second-half turnaround. “We were doing okay getting through their press. It just felt like we were rushing our half-court set and I knew we could run our half-court sets. We haven’t run it all the way through. And once we did that, that’s where a lot of our points came from. Defensively, we pulled off our press and we just kind of changed it up a little bit. We went half-court man and just worked on containing and helping off on Lizzie.”
However, in the second half, Napa was able to gain separation thanks to their defense, which led to plenty of fast-break opportunities.
“We weren’t calling out screens and they got six layups,” Vintage coach Joe Donohoe said of the second half. “That’s a simple fix and we talked about it. I’m stoked about the energy. We didn’t play well, at all Tuesday night. We made an adjustment and we started three sophomores and two freshmen, and when it mattered, they were on the floor. And that was a highly competitive game. I think if a couple of our shots would’ve went down it would’ve been a different story.”
The one that capitalized on those fast-break opportunities was Ghisletta. She ended the night with 16 points, only a point shy of her career-high to go along with four rebounds to lead all scorers for the contest.
“I think our defense is what helped me get so many points,” Ghisletta explained. “But, I think our defense is what helps me get up the floor. We’re getting tips and steals and I was pushing so I think that’s why I got started.”
“She won us that game,” Willis explained. “She brought the momentum that we desperately needed at the end of the third (quarter) and we kind of took it from there. She was getting into girls, she was moving her feet. She was making them turn the ball over and that’s all you can ask of a player.”
Maizy Armstrong-Brown also added ten points and six rebounds, which led the rebounding effort for the Grizzlies.
“She’s a really composed player,” Willis pointed out. “She goes to the basket hard. She can shoot the three. So if you’re not guarding her enough, she’ll shoot it.”
Hannah Newman also brought in five boards, all while scoring four points on the night.
Meanwhile, Vintage was led by Lizzie Qui who ended the night with 15 points and two rebounds.
“She’s a remarkable athlete,” Donohoe said of the freshman. “She tried to do a little too much in the third quarter. But when her and (freshman Rachel) Galvin are playing under control, they’re a tough matchup for both teams because they’re both so fast and handle the ball so well.”
Eden Wood added eight points while bringing in a team-high nine boards on the night.
Napa will be back in action on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they visit Petaluma. As for Vintage, they’ll have their league bye on Tuesday night before hosting American Canyon on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
In other VVAL games on Thursday night, American Canyon beat Petaluma 50-45 and Sonoma Valley beat Justin-Siena 32-25.
