Golden Valley freshman shines in basketball rout of Buhach Colony

When Golden Valley High School girls basketball coach Matt Thissen watches Delia Moore play, he sees a young Kim Spinardi.

Spinardi won a lot of games for Thissen during her four-year career before going off to play at San Diego State. Moore’s career is off to a good start.

The freshman guard scored 17 points as the Cougars (12-3, 2-0 Central California Conference) rolled over Buhach Colony 58-26 on Tuesday night at Cougar Arena.

“She just reminds me so much of Kim Spinardi when she was a freshman,” Thissen said. “Their games are so similar. Delia is gaining confidence each and every game; she’s making better decisions.”

Like Spinardi, Moore is asked to do a lot as the point guard and also score when necessary. Against the Thunder, that meant taking the ball to the basket every chance she could.

“I saw an opening in the defense,” Moore said. “I usually dish it or kick it out, but I saw openings and I took the shot. Our coaches told us to be aggressive. They thought they would probably foul us.”

The Cougars took control from the start as the Thunder (8-9, 0-2) struggled against GV’s 1-2-2 three-quarter-court press.

Buhach Colony turned over the ball on eight of its first 10 possessions as Golden Valley scored the first nine points of the game.

The game snowballed out of control from there for the Thunder, who turned over the ball 14 times in the first quarter and 21 times in the opening half. Buhach Colony managed just four shots to Golden Valley’s 18 in the opening quarter and trailed 18-3.

“The turnovers from the beginning just never gave us a chance,” said Buhach Colony coach Shane Gentry. “I really don’t have words for it, it’s just something that has to get fixed. That’s the difference from us competing and not competing right there. It’s been a while since I can remember us not competing in a league game.”

The Cougars attacked the basket after turnovers and quickly sprinted away from Buhach Colony. Golden Valley built a 29-11 lead by the end of the first half.

“We have two versions of our press, and at first we come out in our soft version just to see how they would react,” Thissen said. “Once we saw that, we just said let’s do what we do. Our defensive effort on the press and in half court was definitely there tonight.”

Moore’s older sister, Stephanie, had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. She also drew two offensive charges. Camille Flores scored nine points.

Delia Moore doesn’t mind the comparisons. She feels it’s more of a product of the team’s success and the help of her teammates.

“It’s amazing to be compared to someone else, especially such a great player,” she said. “I’m thankful I have the support of my team. My teammates make me look good.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2015 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Golden Valley freshman shines in basketball rout of Buhach Colony."