By Marcus D. Smith–
Mesa Verde boys varsity basketball have had quite the tale of two seasons from non-conference play to league play. Here’s the latest in boys and girls basketball:
The boys are winners of three straight league games, and hold a four-game win streak overall, after defeating Woodland High School, 58-36, on Jan. 21. They initially came into this game looking to continue their win streak but after 16 minutes of play, the Mavericks found themselves down by two at the half, 20-18.
“We won a couple of games in a row…we cannot come out and play the first quarter and walk through our offense, we have to run our offense, and we just weren’t ready to play,” said Mesa Verde boys varsity head coach, Anthony Watkins.
Like it’s been a tale of two seasons, it was a tale of two halves on Tuesday. Mesa Verde opened the third quarter on a 20-0 run, as their defense effectively ramped up after switching into a full court man-to-man press.
Mesa Verde sucked the life out of Woodland’s offense, as they could not find a bucket from anywhere on the floor. The Mavericks forced missed jump shots and layups. Every attempt from Woodland was either blocked or thoroughly contested.
“We ran offense and we got up the court before they could set up their zone,” said Anthony Hodge, Mesa Verde High School boys varsity assistant head coach. “A lot of it was, ‘get out and go, get there before their zone sets up and run our offense.’ Don’t walk through the offense like we were doing in the first half, obviously that didn’t work.”
Woodland didn’t score in the third quarter until there were 3:15 remaining in the quarter. At that point, Mesa Verde had gained an 18-point advantage, leading 40-22. They continued to impose their will throughout the fourth quarter.
Mesa Verde looks to move on and take their win streak on the road against Casa Roble High School. The Mavericks look to expand their consecutive streak to five games. Casa Roble will be looking for their first win of league (0-4) and the overall season (0-20).
“We [have to] work hard. We haven’t proved anything [yet]. We’re not in the playoffs, we haven’t won the league, so we [have to] work hard. We have to come out, execute, and work harder than the other team. We have to want it more,” said Hodge.
The road game for Mesa Verde against Casa Roble is expected to tip-off at 6:30pm.
“It’s definitely a trap game and we have to be ready on Friday,” said Watkins. “If we come out and play the first half like we played this past first half…we’re not going to be successful.”
Girls: After defeating Mira Loma on Jan. 17, the girls were looking for a pair of back-to-back Golden Empire League wins as they hosted Woodland High School on Jan. 21. The fight was tough in search of getting back to an even .500 record in league.
However, the tip-off began and the girls searched for an opening basket to get the momentum rolling. Back-and-forth they fought, running up and down the court but the Mavericks could not seem to find the bucket.
They were stifled by Woodland’s 2-2-1 zone full court trap that forced early turnovers in the game. Whether in full court zone or a half court trap, Woodland played the passing lanes to perfection. Those turnovers helped them go on a 17-0 run for the entire first quarter, and would continue into the second quarter.
“We worked on their press, we watched film on how to beat Woodland’s press and it mainly just comes down to awareness and listening,” said Mesa Verde girls varsity head coach, Mark Toscano.
The Mavericks struggled to even get a shot attempt at the bucket. On multiple possessions the ball would enter the paint just to be turned over, but mostly on entry passes to the post.
Woodland transitioned into a 1-2-2 half court zone defensive set that packed the paint and neutralized Mesa Verde’s inside presence.
The Mavericks didn’t score until 3:30 remaining in the second quarter off of a miraculous, pull-up, off balance fade-away from the three point line by Vanessa Flores. Flores finished with 12 points.
At the half, the Mavericks trailed, 22-7, and as they opened the second half, they came out with more intensity and urgency as they looked to mount a comeback.
In the third quarter, they showed life by outscoring Woodland, 10-7, but they still trailed by a 12-point deficit going into the final quarter of play, 29-17.
“We know we’re good enough…I told my girls ‘we know we’re good enough to beat Woodland and we know that Woodland and Mesa are going to be the two teams that battle for that third place spot to lock playoffs,” said Toscano.
Mesa Verde struggled to take the lid off of the bucket in the fourth quarter as they didn’t register a point until 3:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a free throw sank by, senior guard, Christina Vermillion.
Despite the efforts late in the game, the first-quarter deficit seemed to be too much to recover from as the Mavericks fell, 41-24.
Mesa Verde goes on the road to face Casa Roble who sit at (1-3) currently in the Golden Empire League standings, right now tied with the Mavericks. Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 8 p.m., according to MaxPreps.com
Sports Reporter Marcus D. Smith covers high school sports in Citrus Heights. Smith is a Sacramento-area native and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2017.
