Justin-Siena catches fire in second quarter, doesn’t look back in victory over Napa
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
When shots start falling, it sure makes it easier to win a basketball game.
That was the case for the Justin-Siena girls basketball team when they beat Napa 38-29.
In the first quarter, Napa (0-11 overall, 0-8 Vine Valley Athletic League) gained a 9-4 advantage where the Grizzlies junior forward Sofia Tinnon scored seven of the team’s nine points. From there, Tinnon would score just eight more points to finish with a game-high 15 points while bringing in four rebounds. Tinnon was also 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.
“Sofia is a good player,” Justin-Siena head coach Andy Bettencourt explained. “She was doing a really good job of drawing fouls in the first half, getting to the line, making shots around the rim. You have to expect that a little bit with her. I did think we did a better job of at least forcing her to make contested shots, the rest of the game. You just have to accept that sometimes she’s just going to make a good move and score.”
“I think they came out with energy,” Napa High head coach Taylor Willis said of the first quarter. “And they came out and did what we’ve been working on in practice.”
However, in the second quarter, Justin-Siena (6-5, 5-3 VVAL) caught fire and went into the break with a three-point edge. Once they got the lead, they wouldn’t look back.
“Sometimes, it can be as simple as making shots,” Bettencourt said as to what changed. “I thought we did a better job making shots. We also took care of the ball better. Our mantra is just try to have a good possession every time down the floor on offense. I know it’s simple, but that’s really what we’re trying to just take a quality shot. We took more quality shots, which means we’re gonna make more shots.”
For most of the game, neither team had a double-digit lead. The Braves finally gained a 10-point lead with just a few minutes left in the contest.
It also helped that sophomore guard Mary Huen had a great night to lead Justin-Siena. She finished the night with 13 points with a rebound. She also went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
“Mary is a good player and she’s had a couple of really good games for us this year,” Bettencourt said of the sophomore guard. “But she’s been really consistent throughout the year. She comes off the bench, but she doesn’t play six-person minutes. She played starter minutes. She did a great job finishing around the rim tonight. I thought she made some really key baskets and her free throw shooting was on point.”
Isabelle Wells added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the line. She also grabbed three rebounds.
Also having a nice game for Napa was Julie Solomon. The senior center scored seven points and made one of her two free throws.
Grace Sedgley had a huge night rebounding. The senior brought in a game-high 14 boards and scored four points.
“Defensively, Grace does a good job,” Willis said of the senior. “She’s always in the right spot and she bodies and she works the whole time. I’m not surprised by that at all.”
Both teams will continue their league seasons in their next game. Justin-Siena will host Petaluma on Saturday at 4 pm. Meanwhile, Napa will host American Canyon on Wednesday night at 5 pm in what will be their Senior Night.
In the last meetings, Petaluma beat Justin-Siena 45-39 on April 16th. American Canyon beat Napa 60-43 on April 30th.
In the other VVAL game Friday night, Petaluma beat Vintage 50-48.
