Sports
Girls Basketball: Panthers take down Eagles in First Round of NorCal Playoffs
Eagles eye next season after early state tournament exit.
Chico 60, Clayton Valley 47
The Star: Clayton Valley’s Gina Del Bene was a steadying force in a Clayton offense that struggled to hold on to the basketball. Del Bene had several strong drives to the basket and was the Eagles’ best defender coming away with three steals and four rebounds. She also tacked on seven points.
The Turning Point: The Eagles had an early 8-2 lead in the first quarter but watched as Chico closed the quarter strong pulling ahead 13-12 by the of the periods. The Panthers took all of the momentum with the first quarter run and completely silenced the home crowd. Chico didn't trail the rest of the game, taking an 11-point advantage into the half and eventually winning the game by 13.
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The Quote: “They have been playing together so long that they loving passing (to each other). They are truly unselfish. That was one of our most complete games.” — Chico coach Sal Reyna.
What’s Next: Clayton Valley enters the offseason, while Chico moves onto the second round of NorCals next Thursday.
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Bottom Line: Chico sucked the energy out of the building with an early run and never let their foot off the gas pedal. The Panthers gashed a normally stout Clayton defense for easy lay-ups and beat them badly in transition.
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In the opening round of the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Regional playoffs, Clayton Valley looked nothing like the team that took California powerhouse Dougherty Valley to the brink in the North Coast Section championship game last week.
“I told them in locker room before the game, it would be real easy to mail this one in and come out flat because we have done so much and accomplished so much,” Eagles coach Bernard Barnes said. “We did what people said we could not do, which was taking Dougherty Valley down to a last second shot.
“All day long, I was afraid that we would come out flat and we did exactly that.”
The Eagles were plagued by early foul trouble and were obviously still feeling the effects of the heart wrenching one-point loss at the hands of the Wildcats.
“We got into early foul trouble and that hurt us. It got us out of what we normally like to do,” Barnes added. “And defensively … I do not even know who (my) team was.”
Clayton could not have had worse timing for a letdown game, as Chico was firing on all cylinders and gave the Eagles a 60-47 shellacking.
“The girls were ready to play,” Panthers coach Sal Reyna said. “I was a little disappointed with our shooting in the last game but today they came out on fire.”
Chico entered the game with a significant size disadvantage at every position, but they were determined to outrun the Clayton Valley post players. Panthers’ power forward Jordan Mootz, who tallied 18 points, regularly beat her defender in a foot race down the court and converted long passes over the top of the defense for easy baskets.
“(Coming into the game) we knew Clayton was tall. That is all we knew. I looked up (during warm-ups) and said holy smokes,” Reyna said. “I am surprised (we are moving on). But hey, I love it. The girls did a great job.”
Clayton took an early, 8-2, first quarter advantage, but even with a six-point lead they seemed to lack the competitive edge and aggressiveness that led them to 21-consecutive victories.
The Eagles home crowd, which could have matched any other high school fan base for enthusiasm and energy, seemed to have the same Dougherty hangover, as they were silent and listless most of the night.
The Panthers took a first quarter lead at 13-12, on a beautiful steal and three-point play by Nina Holmes with only one second remaining on the clock. The Eagles would never get any closer as Chico extended their advantage to 11-points at the half.
The Panthers center Tiffany Chu, showed off a soft outside touch, dropping in 15 points and draining three 3-pointers.
Clayton’s shooting guard Karley Menez tried to rally the team offensively, scoring a game-high 23 points but no other player could find the range.
The Eagles’ second leading scorer Ashley Allen was saddled with foul trouble the entire game and fouled out with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter after scoring only three points.
“We lose a lot off of this team with Gina (Del Bene) and Sarah (Nelson),” lamented Barnes. “Gina does not get as much credit as she deserves. She is our Derek Jeter or our Derek Fisher. Gina sets-up our offense and defense. She sets the tone with her ball pressure. When she is on the floor, her presence calms all of the other players. When she is out of the game, it’s a mess. I mean balls are flying all over the gym. We are going to miss that.”
Fittingly in Del Bene’s final high school game, she was again the teams’ best defender. She collected three steals and four rebounds (tied for a team high). Nelson clogged up the middle on defense, with 11 blocks and 6 steals but found herself swarmed by Chico defenders on offense.
“This group was special,” said Barnes of the Eagles unselfishness and team first approach. “It was not necessarily what they accomplished but how they did it.
“Next year, we are going to be smaller but much more athletic. I think we will be fine for next season but this summer is key for our preparation.”
Chico 60, Clayton Valley 47
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Individuals — (fg ftm-fta tp)
Clayton Valley
Kommer 0 2-2 2, Menez 9 2-3 23, Avery Van Horn 1 0-0 2, Gina Del Bene 1 4-6 7, Allen 1 1-2 3, Nelson 4 0-0 8. Totals 16 9-13 47.
Chico
Bertagna 1 2-2 4, Holmes 4 4-7 12, Wilkins 1 0-0 2, Mootz 8 2-4 18, Conroy 2 2-2 7, Ovitz 1 0-2 2, Chu 5 0-0 15. Totals 22 10-17 60.
3-point goals: Menez 2, Del Bene.
Fouled out: Allen.
Records: Clayton Valley 26-4; Chico 18-9.
CIF Northern California Division II State Tournament, girls basketball, 3/8/11
