Solano’s hot shooting in second quarter proves to be too much for Napa Valley to overcome
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Most of the time, it’s never good when a team gets hot from three-point range.
That’s what happened in the first half when Solano beat the Napa Valley College women’s basketball team 72-61.
In the first half, the Falcons (9-7 overall, 4-0 Bay Valley Conference) became white-hot from beyond the arc. They knocked down 7 of their 9 points from that distance. Because of this, Napa Valley (6-11, 2-3 BVC) found itself down by 22 at halftime.
Another thing that didn’t help was the fact that the Storm missed a plethora of layups, which could’ve changed things.
It also didn’t help matters that they had no answer for Solano forward Zaire Brown. She ended the night with a team-high 21 points, most of which came in the paint.
One thing that Napa Valley did do well in this game was put together a solid second half. In the half, they were able to outscore the visitors by 11 points and also cut the deficit down to just 7 points at one point.
“We didn’t make any adjustments,” Napa Valley College head coach Paul DeBolt said as to what changed out of the break. “We just have to play better. I mean, we miss easy shots. We play with too much emotion. We get frustrated, and basketball is a game of execution. It’s not a game of emotion.”
On the night Napa Valley was led by Amaree Bennett. The freshman guard finished with a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. She did most of her damage in the second half where she scored 15 points. She also made 4 shots from three-point land in the contest and made all four shots from the free-throw line.
“Amaree played great,” DeBolt said. “On the offensive end, she was spectacular. She brought us back and had a very nice game. She’s learning to play, and she’s an emotional player. She’s learning to play at this level, and she’s really starting to come into her own.”
Mirah Jackson added to the cause with her 18 points and four rebounds.
“She penetrates, she does a little bit of everything for us,” DeBolt added.
Maizy Armstrong-Brown and Nicole Gleeson each scored seven points in the game. Armstrong-Brown grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Gleeson added seven and blocked a shot. Addison Alsbury scored three points and grabbed four rebounds. Alliyah Fernandez scored two points and corralled three rebounds.
Napa Valley will be back in action next week when they have a pair of games, both at 5:30 pm. On Wednesday, they’ll head to San Pablo to face Contra Costa before returning home next Friday night when they host Los Medanos of Pittsburg. On December 23rd, Napa Valley beat Contra Costa 66-45.
