Justin-Siena gets hot in second quarter, goes on run to beat Vintage in first home league game
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Eric Thomspon (Shamboozled.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Oftentimes, it feels like a team is just waiting to get going. When that’s the case, you’ve just got to hope you can keep it close.
On Friday night in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Daniell J. Clark Gymnasium, the Justin-Siena boys basketball team got hot over the final three quarters to beat Vintage, 67-33, in the first of the two Battle of Trower Avenue between the two schools that are separated by a little over a mile.
The Braves (14-1 overall, 2-0 VVAL) were able to pull away in the second quarter. They went on an 11-2 burst, which gave them a 26-11 lead that lasted till there was just 2:50 left in the first half. They would also outscore Vintage 8-3 for the rest of the period to go up 33-24 at the half.
Justin-Siena put the game away in the third quarter when they outscored the Crushers 27-9 in the third quarter to give them a 60-23 lead.
“I feel that we weren’t in our gaps on defense,” Washington explained as to what changed for the final three frames of the game. “Our coach said we’ve got to do that if we want to win this game. So we listen to what he’s been telling us the whole year and it worked.”
The other thing that helped the Braves get going was senior Travis Hightower. He finished the night with a game-high of 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. He scored 11 in the first half while also connecting on a few shots from three-point range. He also made 2 of 3 shots from the line.
“Well, Travis Travis is a difference maker most nights one way or the other,” Justin-Siena head coach and athletic director George Nessman said of Hightower’s importance. “He’s going to make a difference in the game for us whether it’s defense on the boards, a big block at an opportune time, a big basket. He’s a good three-point shooter, but he’s been struggling the last couple of weeks and so it’s good to see him a couple (of) times.”
Also making a major impact in the game was Jaden Washington. The junior forward scored 14 points off the bench while grabbing 4 rebounds, and also blocking a shot. He scored 8 points prior to halftime while making 2 of 3 free throws.
“I feel like my teammates trusted me with the ball when I came in and I needed to bring a little bit of energy,” Washington said of scoring his points off the bench. “That was my job. So I just did what the coaches told me to and it turned out well today.”
Nick Jeremaz was also solid off the bench for the hosts as he scored 11 points and brought in 5 rebounds. The junior did all of his damage in the second half, which included a pair of made threes as well.
“Nick Jeremaz is a good player, who we have high expectations for as a junior,” Nessman said of the junior who added 11 points off the bench. “We’ve been waiting for a couple of breakout games for him, and I think this is the first of what will be many breakout games for him. He can really play and I think you saw that tonight.”
Others scoring for Justin-Siena were Vince Jackson (8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 blocked shot), Ma’el Blunt (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), DJ Ryan (5 points, 2 rebounds), Asher Cleary (3 points, 2 rebounds), Jackson Dunkley (2 points), and Nathan Spare (2 points).
The Crushers (8-7, 1-1 VVAL) were able to keep the game tight early on after trying to mix the defensive looks up. However, with just 49 seconds left in the first with the Crushers down 13-9, Jace Lopez was called for an intentional foul on a fast break that allowed Justin-Siena to get going.
“We tried to mix things up,” Vintage head coach Ben Gongora explained of the defensive strategy that kept the game tight early. “They’re a really talented team. I think really, one of the things that just stung was, I believe it was a two-point game and then Lopez got called for a flagrant, which I’ve never seen. Then, they got to two free throws, plus the three-pointer, so that had it become that hadn’t become a seven-point game, and then the momentum we just didn’t even seem to recover. That really took the wind out of that. That hurt a little.”
Having a solid game for Vintage in this one was Ben Jackson. The senior forward finished with a team-high of 15 points and a rebound. He scored 8 points in the first half as well. Jackson also connected on 4 of 5 free-throw attempts.
“Ben’s one of the best players in the league, one of the best players in the county in the area,” Gongora said of Jackson’s effort. “But what’s more impressive about Ben is his leadership.”
Other than Jackson, the Crushers had a hard time getting any other offense going. Brady Hearn (5 points, 3 rebounds), Si Sabbagha (4 points), Josiah Flynn (3 points, 1 rebound), Grayson Wyman (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block), Nate Marroquin (2 points, 3 rebounds), and Luke Haeuser (2 points, 1 rebound) rounded out the scoring for the Crushers.
Both teams will continue VVAL play next Monday night at 7 PM. Justin-Siena will face another local rival when they visit Napa High. Meanwhile, Vintage will return home where they’ll host Petaluma.
In other VVAL action Friday night, Napa beats Casa Grande-Petaluma 72-64.
