Golden Valley dominates boards in rout of Tracy
Golden Valley girls basketball coach Matt Thissen wasn’t happy with the way his team played defense in the Cougars’ final tuneup for Thursday’s Central California Conference opener.
He wasn’t happy with his team’s press or half-court defense.
The Cougars proved rebounding can help overcome mistakes on the court as they dominated the boards in a 64-34 win over Tracy on Tuesday night at Cougar Arena.
Golden Valley helped limit the Bulldogs to just one shot per possession most of the night, and earned second and third shots on the offensive end as the Cougars improved to 11-4.
Kayla Commons led the way with 17 rebounds to go along with 11 points.
“I just try to box out as hard as I can,” Commons said. “I work hard for my teammates. That’s what all five of us have to do.”
Commons wasn’t the only one gobbling up rebounds.
Golden Valley center Abbee Croninger finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. Stephanie Moore chipped in with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.
Thissen had no complaints about the Cougars’ offense.
Golden Valley used a balanced attack to build a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter as Moore hit a three-pointer to give the Cougars a 17-7 lead.
Tracy (5-9) cut the lead to 21-14 after a Julissa Vargas three-pointer early in the second quarter, but Golden Valley quickly built the lead back up to double digits after a Naomi Peterson basket and three free throws by Kat Tern with 5:47 left in the first half. The Bulldogs never cut the deficit under 10 points the rest of the way.
Moore, Commons, Tern (10 points) and Delia Moore (13) all finished in double figures, while Peterson and Croninger added eight points.
It was Delia Moore’s best game in the five games she’s played since making her season debut on Dec. 26 after recovering from a knee injury.
“It’s the most minutes we’ve given her,” Thissen said. “We went up to four minutes a quarter for her. Every week we’ve increased her minutes. Now we’ll see how her knee reacts tomorrow.”
Tracy coach Derek Solano was unhappy that Golden Valley star Stephanie Moore was still on the floor late in the game with the Cougars ahead by 30 points.
He was overheard telling one of his players to hammer Moore if she went to the hole, which eventually led to a verbal exchange with a member of the scorer’s table.
“I have nine players, who does he want me to put other there? Peterson? Delia? Somebody has to be on the floor,” Thissen said.
The game ended without incident.
“There would have been a problem if something happened,” Thissen said.
Dos Palos 51, Gustine 30 in Gustine – Kayla Hall had a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, and Grace Schofield added six points, 17 boards, eight steals and five assists as the Broncos (5-4) picked up a road win.
Boys
Atwater 65, Delhi 36 in Atwater – Kyle Anaya hit six three-pointers en route to a game-high 28 points as the Falcons (8-8) cruised to victory in their final Central California Conference tuneup.
Arnold Perez paced the Hawks (1-9) with 12 points.
Le Grand 63, Gustine 49 in Le Grand – The Bulldogs’ 1-2 punch of Fernando Aguilar (24 points) and Beto Marquez (20) helped Le Grand (3-8) open Southern League play with a win.
JD Laupua had a team-high 21 points for the Redskins (7-8, 0-1).
This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Golden Valley dominates boards in rout of Tracy."