Justin-Siena pulls away in second quarter thanks to strong defense to beat Napa
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Playing solid defense is a great way to help gain an easy advantage on the offensive end of the floor. It can also help put the game away.
This is what the Justin-Siena boys basketball team did very well on Saturday night when they beat host Napa 53-35.
Justin-Siena (12-7 overall, 2-4 Vine Valley Athletic League) was able to gain the upper hand in the second quarter when they held the Grizzlies (2-17, 0-6 VVAL) to just 4 points. They also put 19 points of their own on the scoreboard.
“We had a play to our strengths and this deal we like, we know we can do,” Justin-Siena junior forward Vince Jackson explained. “In the first quarter, it seemed like we were playing lackadaisical in a way. So we just had to step up the intensity, and that’s what we did.”
Second-year Napa High head coach Joel Garcia said that his team had some breakdowns defensively that quarter, which got them behind.
“Our shots weren’t falling down,” Garcia explained. “We let them have some offensive opportunities with second-chance points and they’re a team that likes to crush boards and we need to do a better job of boxing out.”
Justin-Siena also showed that they are a good team when it comes to bouncing back from a tough loss. This was the case after their loss on Thursday night when they lost a tough 64-51 game at Vintage. For interim head coach Nick Guillory, it means they accomplished a goal this week.
“It was huge. So we went into the week wanting to win the week and this was on Monday,” he said. “So we had American Canyon, Vintage, and Napa on the slate. So a 3-0 (week) is what you want, but a 2-1 we would take, and we were able to do that.”
The Braves also saw their scoring be drastically different than their last time out. It was Travis Hightower who led them with a game-high of just 10 points, 8 rebounds, and a block. He also made all three foul shots.
Jackson was the team’s second-highest scorer with a 9-point, 8-rebound effort. He also made both shots from the line.
“It’s really good,” Jackson said of the even scoring. “When we all score that’s when we have our best game. So it was really good that everyone could score.”
Limiting the Braves’ top weapons was also a point of emphasis for Napa coming into this one.
“All week we were practicing our rotations and we did a great job,” Garcia said. “ And then they started breaking down I think due to tiredness, but a lot of them did a good job executing what the focus on this week was and that’s defensive rotations.”
Ma’el Blunt finished with 8 points and 2 rebounds. DJ Ryan scored 6 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. Nate Spare scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Jesus Hernandez made a three-pointer and corralled a rebound. Caden McDevitt also knocked down a three and blocked a shot. Nick Jeramaz scored 2 points with 7 rebounds, and Eric Gutierez scored 2 points and also grabbed a rebound.
Napa was led by a pair of 9-point scorers in this one. One of them was senior Dylan Newman who scored 9 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots. The other was sophomore Miles MacPherson who scored 9 points and corralled 4 rebounds.
“Miles is always getting shots up. He’s one of our go-to guys when it comes to shooting the ball, driving, and handling the ball,” Garcia said of the two main scorers, “and Dylan just sees the floor so well when it comes to and also attacking and shooting.”
Elliot Zuidema scored 5 points and grabbed a rebound. Tyler Oda finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds. Andrew Remboldt also scored 4 points but grabbed 3 rebounds. Jared Alverado-Martinez scored 2 points and grabbed 2 rebounds and Jacobpo Pizzinato scored 2 points with a rebound.
In a weird oddity in the schedule, both teams’ next game will be against American Canyon. On Monday, Justin-Siena will host American Canyon. Then on Tuesday, Napa will host American Canyon. Both games start at 7 pm.
Other VVAL action on Saturday night saw American Canyon beat Casa Grande 78-73 and Petaluma beat Vintage 66-57. To view the updated league standings, go here.
