Massive first quarter run by Los Medanos proves to be too much for Napa Valley to overcome despite solid second half
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Normally, the result won’t be great when a team is getting beat in the transition game.
This was the case for the Napa Valley College women’s basketball team on Friday night in their 77-66 loss to Los Medanos-Pittsburg.
The Mustangs (6-9 overall, 2-3 Bay Valley Conference) got off to a fast start in the first quarter by going on a monster 18-0 run that lasted till the 5:18 mark of that quarter. LMC was able to get a ton of easy layups that quarter to extend the lead and make it nearly impossible for the Storm (6-13, 2-5 BVC) to overcome.
“It just takes us a while. We’re young, we don’t recognize what’s going on,” Napa Valley College head coach Paul DeBolt said of the sluggish start to the game. “We can tell them before the game what’s going to happen, and they’re just learning sort of how to take what we tell them and apply it. If it’s the first thing you learn in basketball, it’s not to let anyone behind you.”
However, Napa Valley was able to eventually get back into the game following the slow first quarter. They outscored Los Medanos 58-45 over the final three-quarters of the game. They were also able to cut the deficit to 9 points twice.
“We’re just that team. We don’t seem to get going right away,” DeBolt added. “But then once we get going, good things happen, and I’m really proud of us tonight. We didn’t get down on ourselves. They are starting to mature. Freshmen are playing through mistakes now and they’re not dwelling on it, and I think that’s a real positive.”
It also helped that the Storm got a huge game from Amaree Bennett in this one. The freshman guard was a stat sheet stuffer by scoring a game-high 29 points and also grabbing six rebounds. The guard from American Canyon scored 20 of her points in the second half. She also knocked down four shots from three-point range and made 5 of 6 free throws.
“I was just playing my game, doing what I had to do,” she explained. “This is what I’ve been working for it all summer and all year and just do what I had to do.”
Also adding to the cause was Mirah Jackson. The freshman guard finished with 13 points and grabbed six boards. She also made a three-pointer.
Alliyah Fernandez also finished the game as the Storm’s third double-digit scorer. She scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds. She connected from beyond the arc twice, and also scored seven of her points after the half.
Luckily, it won’t be long until Napa Valley is back on the court again. They’ll be back in action on Monday night at 5:30 pm when they host Mendocino-Ukiah. It will be a makeup game from January 13th when they were originally slated to play.
