Alameda uses late game spurt, shot making to edge Napa Valley in down to the wire thriller
By Kyle Foster
Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Losing by a point hurts. In those games, there is always something that could’ve been different to help with the game.
This was the case on Friday night at Storm Gym as Alameda beat Napa Valley, 70-69, in a Bay Valley Conference thriller.
The Cougars (10-12 overall, 6-3 BVC) roared back from a 14-point deficit early in the second half. They went on a 7-0 run to get within a point before taking their first lead with 4:30 to go.
During this time, Alameda also made shots they had missed earlier in the game. This included a good amount of layups. As the game came to an end, they were also able to get to the paint a bit easier which is when they got the game-winning bucket to go.
“We made choices that we weren’t capable of making,” Napa Valley College head coach Steve Ball explained as to why his squad wasn’t able to hang on. “I feel like we tried to make plays that were a little bit outside of our ability levels.”
It also helped that Alameda had a trio of double-figure scorers in the game. Guard Isiah Hill, who finished with 17 points, led them with a team-high. He also made all three shots at the line.
But the biggest matchup nightmare was center Darius Mason who added 16 points. The big center scored 12 points in the second half of the game while making a pair of free throws in the game.
Rounding out the trio was Jamahn Hill, who scored 14 points in the contest, including a pair of three-pointers and 12 points in the second half.
As for Napa Valley (2-19, 1-8 BVC), they led the majority of the game. They got their biggest lead of the game out of the break when they went on a 10-2 scoring run to go up 43-29.
The Storm jumped out to the lead due in large part to a strong start to the half on defense. The full-court press led them to get a bunch of easy layups.
“I feel like in the first half we missed good shots, but we were getting good shots,” Ball said of the run out of the locker room. “In the second half, we always tend to play a little bit better in the front court defensively in the second half because they’re right in front of us, right? So we picked up the energy level again. We caused some turnovers. We ran and jumped a little bit better, a little quicker because they were more alert right in front of their own bench.”
Maybe another thing that helped them get out to such a good lead was the fact that they made their first 8 free throws in the game. This included being perfect in the first half where they were 6 of 6 to carry a 33-27 lead into the break.
“That was nice,” Ball said of the good foul shooting early on. “I wish we would’ve made a couple more in the second half. I mean, one more would’ve changed the game. We played, I think 13 guys tonight, and I guarantee you each one of them had something that could have changed this game, the outcome of this game.”
In the final seconds of the contest, the Storm also got a good look around the rim but were unable to capitalize.
Leading Napa in the game was Naajy Bynum-Bey who finished with a game-leading 18 points and 1 rebound. The freshman scored 10 points in the first half and was 3 of 4 from the stripe in the game. He also made 3 shots from deep in the contest.
“That’s three in a row that he’s had 18 or more (points),” Ball explained of Bynum-Bey who has been playing well lately. “He’s been playing really well lately. He shoots the ball really well and I think what’s a good shot for him may not be a good shot for another guy.”
Also finishing in double-digits for the Storm was E’Jay Rogers. The freshman finished the game with 10 points and 2 rebounds. He scored 7 points in the second half, which included an emphatic dunk, and made both free throws while also connecting on a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
Others scoring in the game for the Storm were Jerard Jackson (9 points), Nate Broome (8 points, 6 rebounds), Chris Farrington (8 points, 3 rebounds, blocked shot), Hassan Flemming (7 points, 4 rebounds), CJ Mitchell (5 points, 1 rebound), Jayden Robinson (3 points, 7 rebounds), and Jamari Taylor (1 point, 1 rebound).
Napa Valley will be back in action on Wednesday at 5:30 pm when they host Merritt-Oakland in another BVC game.
