Vintage’s defense helps them gain early advantage to beat Napa for consolation title at Wine Valley Tournament
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
These days, it’s rare to get three Big Games in a season. Back in the 2000s, this was a common occurrence when there were 15 league games and you would play each team in your league three times. However, the last time there were three Big Games in a season was in 2012.
So, when both Napa and Vintage won on Friday night to set up a winner-take-all matchup in the consolation game of the Wine Valley Tournament at Napa High, it was something to be excited about.
“We were excited because it’s a bonus Big Game for our seniors,” Vintage head coach Joe Donohoe said of meeting their rivals in the non-league portion of the schedule. “It’s like a Big Game tourney style, and we were excited to play them, and we played really well.”
Napa High head coach Taylor Willis took a more philosophical approach when asked about facing their crosstown rivals three times this season.
“I think it’s good because it’s really hard to beat a team three times,” she explained. “So I feel like that we have a leg up on that. We get to play them two more times, and we get to do a better job next time.”
Once the game, started it was all Vintage as they cruised to a 57-25 victory over Napa to win the consolation championship at the Wine Valley Tournament.
Napa (1-7) scored the first basket of the game to where it appeared they were going to start fast. But Vintage (5-3) swiftly went on a 15-0 run, which helped them seize control early on.
“You know, that’s what we hang our hat on,” Donohoe said of the defensive effort. “Try to anyway. So it starts with defense.”
Part of the reason the Crushers gained such a large lead was due to the full-court press that flustered the Grizzlies into making bad passes.
“I think we struggled with a little bit of the pressure,” Willis pointed out. “I told them that they jump on everything and that if you throw the ball over the top, they’re gonna get steals. And that’s what we did. We decided to do the opposite of what I told them to do, so we’ve just got to do a better job adjusting to the pressure.”
One thing that Napa did well in the game was rebounding. They won the advantage on the boards 28-15.
Leading the way for Vintage was Leire Riestra. She finished with a game-high 17 points and five rebounds. She also made both of her shots from three-point range.
“She’s a great kid first and foremost,” Donohoe said of Riestra. “Great teammate, great kid. She’s got a super high basketball IQ, and it’s fun to coach her.”
Lizzie Qui finished the game with 9 points as well.
Kate Kerr had a team-high 6 rebounds and also scored 7 points.
Meanwhile, Napa was led by Sofia Tinnon. The senior had a team-high 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds to finish the game with a double-double. She also converted 3 of her 4 free throws in the game as well.
“She’s always fighting every single time,” Willis said of Tinnon. “She’s our biggest scorer. She’s really strong with a ball and she’s always going to go in and try to score.”
Donohoe also expressed how impressed he was with the Napa senior.
“She’s a tremendous athlete, and she cares a lot,” Donohoe said. “She tries to involve her teammates and share the ball when she’s getting all the attention.”
Nadia Ali-Musa was the Grizzlies’ second-highest scorer finishing the game with 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Both teams will be back in action next week. On Tuesday night at 7 pm, Vintage will visit Benicia. As for Napa, they’ll be back in action on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 pm when they visit Berkeley.
