VALLEJO >> Middletown pushed its way back to the .500 mark with a come-from-behind 41-37 victory over the El Molino Lions on Friday afternoon in a first-round game of the West Coast Jamboree at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo.
This is the 20th year for the West Coast Jamboree, which has grown into a mega-tournament for girls basketball teams across the state. This year’s event features 136 schools competing in 17 different eight-team divisions at 10 venues spread throughout Solano, Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Middletown (4-4) is part of the Amethyst Division, which also features El Molino, Justin-Siena, Skyline, Chowchilla, Bethel, Churchill County and Santa Cruz.
Middletown draws Justin-Siena in the Amethyst semifinals on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Jesse Bethel High School. The final round of games takes place Monday at the same location. Justin-Siena (4-6) beat Skyline 57-35 in another first-round game Friday.
Against El Molino, the Mustangs scored the game’s final nine points to wipe out a 37-32 deficit with a minute and a half remaining. Bella Dubois hit a shot down low to make it 37-34 and Abbey Brown scored on a drive to the basket and drew the foul with 38 seconds remaining. Brown added the free throw to complete the three-point play and tie the score at 37-all.
As El Molino moved up the court on its ensuing possession, Sophie Kucer came up with the defensive play of the game, stealing the ball from a Lions player and scoring an uncontested layup to give Middletown a 39-37 lead.
“She got a hand on the ball, knocked it away and came up with it,” Middletown head coach Andy Brown said of Kucer’s big play.
With 24 seconds left, El Molino used up much of the clock before missing a 3-point shot that Jessica Pollack rebounded. The Lions immediately fouled her and she made both double-bonus free throws to seal the victory.
“We like to make these tournament games as exciting as possible,” Brown said. “We had another rough first quarter, but we played much better after that.”
El Molino led 12-6 after the opening period although the Mustangs took a 19-18 lead into the locker room at halftime. Middletown held that same one-point advantage – 27-26 – after three quarters.
A loosely called game by the officials in the first half tightened up considerably in the second half.
“And we paid the price,” Brown said of losing starters Olivia Kucer and Paige Astley to fouls.
El Molino’s man press in the fourth quarter was broken by Middletown on several occasions, according to Brown.
“We broke it when it mattered,” he said.
Sophie Kucer led the Mustangs with 17 points, Brown joined her in double figures with 10, and Pollack and Astley each added five points. Dubois pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
