Tenacious zone play leads Atwater girls to basketball victory

The 2-3 zone is not usually considered an aggressive defensive ploy on the basketball court.

Teams generally go to it to take away the inside and force opponents to make shots from the outside.

Playing with the same tenacity as it would in a full-court press, the Atwater High School girls stepped into passing lanes, trapped players on the wings and denied almost all entries into the post en route to a 44-24 nonleague victory over Oakdale on Friday night. The Falcons forced 29 turnovers.

“We know we aren’t the most athletic team,” junior forward Heaven Mazon said. “Not many of us are very fast. So instead of struggling to match up man-to-man, the zone helps us compete with those more athletic teams. Everybody knows they have just a small space that they are responsible for, and that allows us to be a little more aggressive defensively.”

Atwater certainly was, even in an unfamiliar home gym.

The Falcons (8-4) found out Monday that the Nest’s court had been resurfaced and wouldn’t be available for the game. The move to Mitchell Senior Elementary School didn’t seem to phase Atwater, as it scored the first 15 points.

Jasmine Xiong (six points) and Mazon (game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds) led the way, combining for 11 of the Falcons’ points in the first quarter. The bulk of those came on the break, as Atwater turned nine Mustangs turnovers into easy transition points.

“We’re definitely at our best when we’re out running the floor,” Atwater coach J.R. Davis said. “Maritza (Hernandez) and Jasmine are particularly good at it. They read the play well and break quick, plus, they seem to play well off of each other.

“The girls did a good job tonight of pushing it when they had an opportunity and taking their time when it wasn’t there.”

Oakdale (2-8) didn’t get on the board until Micaela Maaske drained a three-pointer in the last two minutes of the first quarter.

The second quarter didn’t go any better, as the Mustangs shot just 2 of 20 from the field in the opening half. Atwater (eight turnovers) wasn’t quite as sharp in the second quarter but still took a comfortable 24-5 lead into intermission.

Davis turned to his bench for most of the second half. Jackie Magana took advantage of the extra minutes, compiling seven points, eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

After starting the season 0-3, the Falcons have won eight of nine and are looking sharp with Central California Conference play opening next week.

“It seems like we always get off to a slow start, because we have girls that play volleyball and run cross country,” Mazon said. “We’ve improved a lot since the start of the season, and it does feel like we’re clicking as we head into league.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2015 at 12:34 AM with the headline "Tenacious zone play leads Atwater girls to basketball victory."