Justin-Siena comes up just short against American Canyon in thriller
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Basketball can be a brutal game at times. It’s even harder when the margin for error in league play is thin.
The Justin-Siena boys basketball team found this out in heartbreaking fashion on Monday night when they took a tough 64-63 loss to American Canyon.
American Canyon (15-6 overall, 8-1 Vine Valley Athletic League) took the lead with just 2.3 seconds remaining when Michael Pierce pulled up from the wing and banked in the game-winning three-pointer.
The Wolves were able to claw back into the contest after getting down 11. A large reason for that was the defensive pressure they applied.
“So it started with their defensive pressure,” Justin-Siena interim head coach Nick Guillory said. “They got some turnovers that sped us up, and they turn those turnovers into points. I believe 15 (Bell) had a layup for one, and they hit a three and they’re a momentum team. So when they start doing things like that, it’s hard to react to quickly.”
Another thing that had an impact was the fact that Vince Jackson was in foul trouble late in the game. He had to sit the first half of the final quarter with 4 fouls.
“I mean Vince had to sit the first three (minutes) of the fourth,” Guillory explained. “So that hurt us a lot. But I thought Jaden Washington did a really good job. He stepped in and gave us some big minutes. So again, love to have Vince out there. But I think the next guy up they did a solid job, and unfortunately, Vince got his fifth with about two or three minutes to go.”
Early on, it was Justin-Siena (12-8, 2-5 VVAL) that had the edge. For the second game in a row, they held their opponent to just 4 points in the second quarter. Part of it was defense, but another part of it was a height advantage in the post that they exploited. In the first half, Vince Jackson had 12 points and Travis Hightower had 10 points due to their post play.
“That was the game plan going in – we have a size advantage down there,” Guillory said. “ So we wanted to get them as many touches in the block area or block extended as possible. So we have numerous sets to get them touches.”
Hightower finished with a game-high 19 points and 6 rebounds. Jackson finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Ma’el Blunt was the beneficiary of good post play in this one as he finished as the Braves’ third scorer in double-digits as he scored 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and blocked a shot.
“Ma’el found a groove attacking their press and getting in the lane with his floaters, which he’s really adept at,” Guillory said of Blunt.
DJ Ryan scored 6 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked a shot. Nate Spare finished with 4 points, Jaden Washington scored 2 and grabbed 2 rebounds, and Andrew Grismaw also scored 2 points.
Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday night at 7 pm. American Canyon will visit Napa, and Justin-Siena will head to Petaluma to visit Casa Grande. To view the updated league standings, go here.
