Napa Valley goes on monster run late in game to comeback from double-digit deficit and stun Canada in instant classic
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
It’s the worst when things just won’t go how you want them to. At that point, it seems like the outcome is known.
However, from time to time, something changes in the snap of a finger and the game isn’t the same from that point on. Sometimes you simply just have to see it to believe it.
Well, on Monday night on the Napa Valley College campus and Storm Gym, something that seemed impossible happened.
This is precisely what happened for the Storm men’s basketball team as they were able to notch a come-from-behind victory over Canada-Redwood City, 63-62.
“Games like this, they just boost our confidence at this rate,” Napa Valley College sophomore guard Cameron Joesph said of the impact of a thrilling victory. “Especially going into the conference, this is the kind of thing we need. I know we’d started the season not how we wanted to but getting a little bit of a winning streak (and) getting some momentum, especially protecting the house is a good feeling.”
But with 4:12 left in the game, a pair of offsetting technicals seemed like a momentum changer. Then, right before the teams were set to take a free throw each, the Colts bench got another technical that meant the Storm (5-7) would get to shoot four-straight foul shots. Sure enough, they made three of them and the deficit was down to 8 for Napa who had trailed by as much as 15 in the game. After that, Napa Valley added another 13 straight points and now held a 59-58 lead.
“I told them in the huddle that they routinely put themselves in that position,” Napa Valley College head coach Steve Ball said as to what changed with just over four minutes left. “It’s psychological tanking where you do so poorly that the game is over, essentially, and then there’s no pressure on you. So now the pressure is off, let’s just go play and that’s what they did after that timeout. They came in and turned them over quite a bit. They brought a different level of energy, they were carefree about it. You know, sometimes when you know that there’s a game that you can win, you play a little tighter and so your rotations are maybe a step slower because you’re tentative on it because there’s a little pressure on you. Once the pressure’s off when we get down 14, we rotate a bit faster. We played a little bit harder.”
After missing a shot that would’ve given them a three-point lead, Canada drove the basket and the Storm fouled and now found themselves down 62-61. On the final trip down the floor, Joseph was fouled going to the basket with just 3.1 seconds remaining. He buried both free throws and the Colts (4-8) could not advance the ball into the front court after to give Napa Valley the thrilling win.
“Anytime, I got to the free-throw line I just say this little thing to myself is nobody cares,” Joseph said of his confidence as he went to the line with a chance to take the lead. “Honestly, it’s no pressure on myself. Like, I’m only going to feel the pressure that I put on myself because, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. That’s the only person I need to please tell myself that and I’m at ease.”
Other than the heroic moments with just over four minutes left in the game, the Strom had a rough night. Out of the half, Canada went on a 9-2 run, giving them the first double-digit lead of the game. They would continue to step on the gas pedal until the lead swelled all the way up to 15 points, which would be the largest lead for either side in the game. Canada also started the game on a 7-2 run that helped them seize control early.
Napa Valley also had a rough shooting night. They were able to get a plethora of good looks all over the place throughout the game, but the shots just wouldn’t fall. They also missed a lot of free throws in this one after coming into the game shooting 73.8% on foul shots this season. In the contest, they made just 12 of 25 shots from the line.
“It just shows what type of team we are,” Joseph explained of winning the game despite a woeful night shooting as a team. “This is different from last year. I know last year, we necessarily didn’t have that confidence, that swagger. But now in recognizing that we could win some games, we could put them together, (and) get a little win streak going. We’re just a completely different team. I’m very confident heading into conference (play). I’d like to see what we can do.”
Yet, the Storm still finished with four double-digit, which has been a recipe for success this season. Leading the way was Albert Dennis. The sophomore guard was a menace in the second half, as that’s where he did all of his scoring finishing with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
“I feel like he was getting many of the same shots,” Ball pointed out. “ He was just not confident. He missed one or two in the first half and then he kind of stopped taking those shots.
Joseph finished with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and a blocked shot. He scored 8 of his points out of the break and also made 8 of 9 free throws as well. I mean, he’s one of the best downhill penetrators in our conference and he needs to continue to play that way. But he did nothing. He just turned it on. He’s a dude. He plays with through pain, puts his body on the line is not afraid to get banged or run through somebody. He’s a competitor in every sense of the word.”
Chris Thompson added 11 points. He kept the hosts in the game early by scoring 8 of his points before halftime.
Doentae Jenkins finished with 10 points in the game. He scored 5 points in both halves and made 1 of 4 foul shots.
Others scoring for Napa Valley were Arthur Larry (8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) and Antione Thaxton (7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot).
Napa Valley will now have a short turnaround before their next game when they begin Bay Valley Conference play. Their next game will be against Solano on Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
