Justin-Siena slows down Petaluma’s three-point shooting to pick up fifth straight win
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Hot-shooting at the beginning of a game can make it hard to come back.
However, when you fight the shots going in with shots of your own.
That was what the Justin-Siena boys basketball team did in their 58-54 victory over Petaluma.
The Trojans (8-6 overall, 6-4 Vine Valley Athletic League) came out on fire with their shooting from beyond the arc. In the first quarter, they were 5-of-5 from three-point land.
“We didn’t really make an adjustment to be quite honest with you,” Justin-Siena head coach Dave Granucci explained as to what stopped the three-pointers. “We knew that they want to shoot the three a little bit. We felt like it was going to even out – the percentage was going to even out at some point. I mean, they weren’t going to shoot 100% the whole game.”
Petaluma wasn’t nearly as hot for the rest of the game after their nice first quarter.
“We just had to make sure we got out on the three-point shooters. They were hitting a lot of threes,” Justin-Siena sophomore forward Vince Jackson said. “So we just had to make sure we had a high hand.”
The game was also close due to the fact that Justin-Siena (7-7, 5-4 VVAL) converted just 2 of their 9 free-throw attempts.
“We’ve got to continue to work on it, right,” Granucci said. “We looked like a team that played three games in four days. I’m not saying we’re a good free-throw shooting team or not. We struggled shooting free throws right now. But I’m taking into consideration the fact that we had some tired legs and that’s not taking anything away from Petaluma.”
Leading the way for the Braves was Travis Hightower. The sophomore forward scored 26 points on the day and also brought in two rebounds. He also ended the day 1-for-2 from the charity stripe.
Also having a good game was Jackson. The sophomore added 13 points, with 10 rebounds to get a double-double. He also had a block as well. Jackson also made one of his two shots from the free-throw line on the day.
“Those two guys, in particular, are really playing off of each other,” Granucci said of the sophomore duo that led the team on Saturday. “I think he’s (Hightower) taken some pressure off of Vince for sure.”
Asher Cleary pitched in eight points and a rebound.
Both teams will play their final games of the season next Tuesday night at 7 pm. Petaluma will host crosstown rival Casa Grande for the third time this season. Meanwhile, Justin-Siena will host Sonoma Valley in what will be their Senior Night.
In the most recent meetings, Casa Grande beat Petaluma 62-59. Justin-Siena beat Sonoma Valley 60-46.
