By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
The shots weren't falling for Napa Valley College in the first quarter of the Storm Surge on Thursday.
The Storm had some good looks, both from the inside and outside, but they came away with just nine points to show for it.
"I think it was more of like we weren't really playing well, and our offense wasn't really flowing well," said Arianna Aguilar, a returning sophomore. "I knew I had to step it up for the team to get the win."
Aguilar took over for Napa Valley, the host of the fifth annual Storm Surge, a preseason women's basketball invitational tournament, which continues on Friday, Dec. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 13.
Aguilar, a guard who was named All-Bay Valley Conference last year, took charge, scoring 17 points in the second quarter and leading the Storm to a 30-19 lead at halftime. She had two 3-pointers and made all three of her free throws in that stretch, igniting the Storm's attack as they went on to beat Porterville College, 61-36, in a first-round game.
It was a season-high 23-point game for Aguilar, who was also 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. The Storm did not let up, outscoring Porterville in the second half, 31-17
"In the first quarter, when my shots weren't falling, I just kept telling myself, 'Keep shooting,' " said Aguilar. "My team feeds off of me, so when I step it up, they all step it up. And then, as you see, we can play together as a team once everything is stepped up. In the second half, we got it together.
"Sometimes I'll look at Coach (Paul DeBolt) and he'll give me a thumbs up or a little smile, so I know I'm OK, but that's really it. Sometimes, that little reassurance from him that, just because shots aren't falling, doesn't mean I'm doing bad. So that helps."
Aguilar was one of nine players to score for Napa Valley (7-2 overall), which extended its winning streak to five in a row, Jazmine Fontilla scored 12 points, Amiyah Murry and Layla Butler each had eight points, and Ashley Torres had four points.
"I think it was my teammates finding me when I was open and giving me the right passes. I knew I had to just step it up, which I did," said Aguilar, who is from St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School-Vallejo. "If I have the hot hand, feed me. I'm going to shoot the ball. I'm going to make my shot. If I'm hot, I want the ball."
For the season, Aguilar is averaging 13.3 points per game. She also has 18 3-pointers.
"(Arianna) is just a really good all-around basketball player," said Storm coach Paul DeBolt. "She has a high basketball IQ, particularly offensively. She takes what they're giving her. She's learned to play this year with people paying more attention to her, and she picks her spots. She can score.
"She made some shots. She's slippery. She gets shots in the paint. She's a really good mid-range shooter."
It's the nonconference season for Napa Valley, which continues play in Storm Surge with a second-round game on Friday against College of the Canyons-Santa Clarita at 4 p.m.
"It's a great feeling to play on your home court and get a win, of course, and it's a good way to see these other teams play," said Aguilar. "The winning streak doesn't faze us. It's just a streak. We can't let it get to our heads."
It was a slow start for Napa Valley, which trailed in the first quarter, 2-0, 4-2 and 6-4.
The Storm had a 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. They hit four shots from the field in the opening quarter of play.
They were 11-of-18 from the free-throw line. A 16-0 run in the fourth quarter gave NVC a 60-28 lead.
"We're looking for the best shots we can get each time down the court. Sometimes we're a little too patient, and sometimes we rush. We're still trying to find ourselves offensively," said DeBolt.
The play of the team's defense is emerging as a strength for the Storm. They are holding teams to 51.1 points per game.
"Defensively, I think that's becoming our identity. We're a pretty good defensive team," said DeBolt. "We're growing as a defensive team. I think we're learning how to grind out possessions in man-to-man defense.
"We've got a nice group of players. We've got a lot of kids who can play. It was a good defensive effort I thought."
Porterville was led by Neveah Lockett with 10 points and Jada Bravo with nine points.
Porterville was within one point of the Storm, 17-16 in the second quarter.
Other first-round games
* Los Medanos College-Pittsburg beat San Jose City College, the defending champion, 66-60.
Eve Monson scored 23 points with five 3-pointers and Anisa Blalock had 16 points for Los Medanos.
Hayley Johnson scored 22 points and Synis Byrd had 18 points for San Jose City.
* College of Marin-Kentfield beat College of the Canyons, 70-49.
Jamaia Harrison scored 11 points to lead College of Marin. Twelve players scored for Marin.
Gabriella Valles scored 19 points and Katherine Franco had 10 points for Canyons.
* Rio Hondo College beat College of the Siskiyous, 80-68.
Miranda Morales scored 36 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Rio Hondo. Adreinne Bausley had 15 points and Brooklyn Romero had 11 points.
Siskiyous was led by Kady Lindstrom with 22 points, Kaitlin Mandell had 14 points, K'shalee Smartt-Thomas had 13 points and Alexes Collier had 10 points.
Friday's second-round games
San Jose City and Siskiyous meet in the 12 p.m. game.
Los Medanos and Rio Hondo play in the 2 p.m. game.
Canyons and Napa Valley meet in the 4 p.m. game.
Saturday's final-round schedule
There are four games in the final round on Saturday. Games start at 10 a.m., 12, 2 and 4 p.m.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.