Justin-Siena starts fast, plays steady defense throughout to beat Menlo-Atherton, and advance in CIF playoffs
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Eric Thompson (Shamboozled.com)
Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
It’s amazing what a fast start can do. Starting fast can make the game a lot less stressful and get the momentum on your side.
On Tuesday night at the Daniel J. Clark Gym, this is what No. 4 seed Justin-Siena did as they beat No. 12 Menlo-Atherton, 64-36, in a CIF Northern California Regional Division 3 quarterfinal.
The Braves (29-3) took control of the game immediately. From the jump, they began the game by going on a 12-0 run. They would end the first quarter up 25-10.
“Our kids are just, are just dialed in, they’re focused, and they want this,” Justin-Siena head coach Andy Bettencourt said of the fast start to the game his team had. “When you have a veteran group that’s been together for a long time that knows they got a shot at something, and for nine of them their last shot at something, I think they just come out with a purpose and they really did that today and it was so fun to watch.”
In the third quarter Justin-Siena put the game away when they cleaned up some of their turnovers and once again started making shots. During the third, they also outscored the Bears (20-9) by a margin of 24-10. This put the game away as they held a 57-30 lead.
“Sometimes offensively, you’re going to go through up and downs throughout a game,” Bettencourt pointed out. “That’s the nature of basketball. What we talked about was the fact that in first and second quarter we gave up 10 points, and then if we just stayed consistent with our defense, we felt like our offense would come back and man, did it ever.”
Another thing that helped the Braves in the game was their solid three-point shooting. In the contest, they made 6 shots from downtown, which helped open up the offense even more.
One of the main beneficiaries of the shots going in to start the second half was Jordan Washington. She ended the game with a game-leading 19 points, 11 rebounds, and a blocked shot from a double-double. Washington scored 13 points in the second half and made all 5 of her free throws in the game. Washington also set the single-season record for rebounds in a season with her first rebound of the game.
Finishing as the Braves’ next highest scorer was Dylan Zapolski. The junior guard was on fire shooting the ball as she finished the game with 15 points and 2 rebounds. Zapolski did all of her scoring in the first half and made 5 shots from deep in the game.
When Zapolski is making shots from all over the floor, it makes the opponent pick their poison. You can either get beat in the paint or give up three-pointer after three-pointer, which is a tough situation for anyone.
“It makes us harder to guard when you have to now worry about a shooter like her,” Bettencourt said of the impact Zapolski makes when she’s making shots from deep. “You now have to spread out your defense more, and that’s going to give us more opportunities in the paint. Just so proud of our kids for how well they moved the ball, and Dylan for stepping into her shots with confidence.”
This was the most confident she has been shooting the ball all season long. She did this by being less hesitant and shooting when there was a good look. She also benefited from the early attention Washington was getting.
“Coach Andy called me in yesterday and he told me to stop hesitating and just turn my brain off when I’m out there and just let the ball fly because there’s a lot of work that goes into practice,” Zapolski explained of her hot shooting night. “It’s been a tough season shooting, and it’s always hard to get through that kind of mental block. Because last year I was obviously shooting it at a higher level so this year, it was an adjustment. But once that first two went down, I kind of had that mindset in my head that I just have to turn it off and just let the ball fly.”
Lauren Keller also added 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. She scored 6 points in each half and made 2 of 6 free throws in the game.
Also coming up key in the game was Caiden Grimmer who ended the game with 8 points and 2 rebounds. She scored 6 points in the second half. Grimmer has been a jolt to the team all season long with her great athleticism. She has also moved her way higher into the rotation as the season has gone on.
“She’s honestly a beast,” Zapolski explained of Grimmer. “She’s come in a great player with a great mindset and she’s been nothing but welcoming to us. From the minute we met her, we knew she would fit in with our team. She’s a great person on and off the court. Her defense, I feel like, sometimes goes under the radar. Her defense is so good, she’s so athletic, and we can always put her on the best player, and we know she’s gonna give it her all.”
The craziest part of Grimmer is basketball isn’t even her best sport. Because basketball is going so late, she will be getting to her main sport of softball whenever the winter season ends.
“Caiden is tenacious, and yeah we have we are so fortunate that she moved from Oregon and plays basketball and is on our team,” Bettencourt added. “She’s consistent. She’s a constant. She doesn’t get too high, she doesn’t get too low, and she is just a phenomenal athlete and defender. It’s crazy to think that this is her second sport, that she’s going to be a college athlete in softball. But when Sophia (Dominici) got her third foul, to be able to have the confidence to immediately make that sub and know that we’re going to have someone like Caden come in. It was fun, and she provided a huge spark.”
Others scoring for the Braves in the game were Naveena Jackson (3 points, 7 rebounds), Madyson Carson (3 points, 2 rebounds), Paige Helms (2 points, 3 rebounds), and Sophia Dominici (2 points, 1 rebound, blocked shot).
With the victory, Justin-Siena advances to the regional semifinals on Saturday where they will travel to Reedley to face No. 1 seed Immanuel. No. 1 seed Immanuel beat No. 8 Chico 78-37 on Thursday. The other NorCal semifinal will be an all-NCS one as No. 3 Marin Catholic hosts No. 7 Moreau Catholic. You can view the updated bracket.
