PETALUMA — The Middletown Mustangs couldn’t overcome 31 turnovers in a season-opening 40-29 loss to the Casa Grande Gauchos in non-league varsity girls basketball action Tuesday night in Petaluma.
“You can’t expect to win a varsity basketball game against Casa Grande with 31 turnovers and when you score two points in the second quarter,” Middletown first-year head coach Roxi Hoogendoorn said. “That’s just way too many turnovers.”
Casa Grande led 13-6 after one quarter but bumped that lead up to 25-8 by halftime as the Mustangs (0-1) struggled on offense in the second quarter.
“We have to start learning how to play together,” Hoogendoorn said. “Our shots weren’t falling. We had some good looks but we couldn’t get anything to fall.”
Middletown graduated several seniors off its North Central League I championship team of a year ago. The Mustangs’ roster going into Tuesday’s action was just seven players strong and one of those, Abigail Tacla, fouled out with four minutes left in the game. The 2022-23 roster features three seniors, three juniors and a sophomore.
“We don’t have a deep bench,” Hoogendoorn said.
Amanda Hart led Middletown with eight points while Tacla and Bella Santiago each finished with six. Skylar Williams added five more.
“We did some good things in spurts,” Hoogendoorn said. “We made some adjustments at halftime that helped in the second half, but we definitely have some work to do.”
In the junior varsity game, Middletown beat Casa Grande 36-32 behind 17 points from freshman Harley Holley and 11 from sophomore Brooklyn Wood.
The Mustangs (1-0) had a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter before Casa Grande made one last run to get close.
“They both hit the boards really hard,” Middletown head coach Jamie Burns said of Holley and Wood.
Burns said she was impressed with her team’s play for a first game.
“I’m really proud of how the girls played tonight,” she said. “We have a young team this year and everyone went out and did a great job.”
The Mustangs host Ukiah in a North Coast Section Foundation game next Tuesday. JV action tips off at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity game to follow.
