MIDDLETOWN — With two straight wins under their belts, the Middletown Mustangs can take a breath now.
While it’s been a rough go in the early season for head coach Anthony Bazzano’s squad, things might be starting to turn around as the Mustangs gear up for the West Coast Jamboree next week in Vallejo. On Friday night, Middletown beat the visiting San Rafael Bulldogs 47-29 in a non-league varsity girls basketball game at Middletown High School.
“We played a little bit better basketball this week,” Bazzano said of home wins over San Rafael and Piner (51-37 win on Tuesday). “We took care of business tonight. We didn’t have our best game, but we did enough.”
Playing a tough preseason schedule, Middletown lost five of its first six before posting back-to-back wins this week. While the team’s defense has fared better than the offense, the Mustangs are starting to find the range from the field. They benefited from another balanced scoring night as Abbey Brown led the way with 10 points. Alyssa Hart, Kassi Agapoff and Hanna Morris added eight points apiece and Sophie Kucer had seven.
Middletown outscored San Rafael in each of the first three quarters. It was 23-13 at halftime and 41-21 going to the final period.
The Mustangs return to action Thursday against Oceana of Pacific in the first round of the West Coast Jamboree’s Amethyst Division. All games will be played at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. The tournament runs through Saturday, Dec. 29. The Middletown-Oceana game tips off at noon.
“We’ll try to get a couple of good practices between now and then and go over there and try to get a couple of wins,” Bazzano said.
In the junior varsity game, Middletown scored only three points in the first quarter but rallied to beat San Rafael 38-29.
A 17-3 third quarter turned the game around for the Mustangs (6-2) as Ella Rockwell scored all six of her points in that quarter. Brie Alves also hit a 3-pointer.
Alves led a balanced Mustangs attack with 11 points, Jessica Pollack added nine points and Olivia Kucer had seven.
Middletown’s JVs return to action Thursday in a tournament at Freedom High School in Oakley. The tournament runs through Dec. 29.
In other girls action Friday:
Willits 45, Lower Lake 39
At Willits, freshman Margo Cordova scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter, but the Lower Lake Trojans, again plagued by an ice-cold start, fell to the Willits Wolverines in the North Central League I opener for both teams.
Lower Lake head coach Dave Milano wasn’t around to see the end of the game after picking up a second technical foul and being ejected early in the fourth quarter.
“I didn’t lose my temper, lose my cool,” Milano said. “I guess I said something he didn’t like.”
Lower Lake (0-1 league, 2-10 overall) trailed 10-2 after the first quarter. It was 29-23 in Willits’ favor entering the fourth quarter when Cordova did her best to rally the Trojans.
Anahi Robles led Lower Lake with 14 points. Kiley Butler’s 14 points paced Willits (1-0, 4-3).
“Willits is just OK,” Milano said of the Wolverines. “We are just really underachieving right now and that falls on me. We have more talent than we’re showing.”
Lower Lake will have nearly three weeks to prepare for its next game on Jan. 8 against Clear Lake in Lakeport.
In the JV game, Willits edged Lower Lake 37-35. Kayla Doud’s 12 points, all on 3-pointers, paced the Trojans. Sonja Desano added seven points, including one 3-pointer.
“Fouls and turnovers were the killer tonight,” Lower Lake coach Shannon Tubbs said.
Willits shot 31 free throws to Lower Lake’s 10.
