VALLEJO — A hiccup in the third quarter cost the Middletown Mustangs against the Bethel Jaguars on Saturday in the championship game of the West Coast Jamboree’s Amethyst Division at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo.
Bethel held on for a 37-31 victory, snapping Middletown’s four-game winning streak. A brief letdown in the third quarter proved to be a game-changer.
“We lost a handle on our patience on offense in the third quarter,” Middletown head coach Anthony Bazzano said. “It resulted in turnovers and it was the difference in the game.”
Bethel pushed its lead to 31-20 by quarter’s end. Middletown rallied and closed to 36-31 with two minutes remaining but couldn’t get any closer.
“We had four straight possessions, four high quality looks at the basket and didn’t get the thing to go in,” Bazzano said of Middletown’s play down the stretch. “It was one of those games we could have had.”
Bethel improved to 8-6 with the win.
Despite the loss, Bazzano said he is pleased with the way his team has responded after a 1-5 start.
“We’re in a pretty healthy place right now,” he said. “This is one of the better defensive teams I’ve ever coached. If our offense can keep from trying to force things and if we can keep from losing our patience a little bit, this can be a pretty good team.”
Emily Santiago’s 11 points powered the Mustangs against Bethel while Abbey Brown added nine.
Alyssa Hart and Ellie Bazzano were named to the All-Tournament team.
Middletown advanced to the championship game with a 42-32 win over Benicia in Friday’s semifinals. Kassi Agapoff led the way with 10 points, Hart had nine and Bazzano eight as the Mustangs built a 22-13 halftime lead.
Middletown opens its North Central League I schedule on the road Wednesday against Cloverdale, the defending league co-champion. Two of the Mustangs’ first three league games are against title contenders Cloverdale and Kelseyville (Jan. 8 in Kelseyville).
“Our 15 most important games are in front of us,” Bazzano said.
