Boys Basketball: Desert defense stifles Mustangs in DML win.
By ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
Jan. 14, 2015
PALMDALE - Playfully trying to give the boys every edge they could get on Wednesday night, some members of the Desert girls basketball team began to shout, "5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" from the stands as Vasquez's Joel Salazar dribbled the ball on an offensive possession that still had 20 seconds left in it.
"Ehhhhh!" they cried out as Salazar fell for their false shot-clock countdown and rushed a shot that bounced way off the side of the rim.
Desert boys basketball coach Michael Williams immediately turned to the stands and told them: "Ladies, don't do that."
"Kids are being kids, you know," Williams said after his team beat Vasquez 50-36. "But I've got to stand up and let them know, 'Hey, we're going to be classy here.'"
In a victory that sent the Scorpions to 4-0 in Desert Mountain League play, they didn't need the defensive help anyway.
Desert held the Mustangs (3-2, 2-2 DML) to two points in the first quarter and four in the third and led by double digits for all but part of the first period. The Scorpions didn't allow a basket until the 5:21 mark of the second quarter, just moments after the girls' tricksy cheer.
"That was big. That was the game plan," Williams said. "We've been having problems defensively all year and I'm trying to convince these guys that we got to work. We got to play hard on both sides of the ball."
Vasquez netted five field goals for 10 points in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing 24-12, still feeling like they could make their way back into the game. Another rough shooting in the third quarter, however, sent them into the final period down by 20 points.
The bigger Scorpions' zone defense played a key role in the Mustangs' struggles, but on this night Vasquez also seemed to misfire on the easy shots.
"The players understand they control their effort and sometimes the shots don't go down," Vasquez coach Pat Abbott said. "They actually played really well. I was proud of them. They just missed a bunch of layups, period."
Vasquez saved its best for last. Down 36-16 entering the fourth, the Mustangs forced seven turnovers and exploded for 20 points, which included their only two 3-pointers of the game.
The Mustangs got within 15 midway through the period when David Duronslet laid in the last two of his team-leading 13 points, but got no closer. The deficit was just too large to overcome by then.
But give Vasquez credit. The Mustangs picked up the intensity and played the entire fourth quarter as if they were only down by a couple of possessions, even in the last two minutes.
"They just have to make shots, and they're getting easy shots," Abbott said. "So I'm proud of what they did tonight, I really am."
For Desert, which was led by Josh Bell's 18 points and Chad Gleason's 14, Wednesday was the first of five consecutive road games. The Scorpions play at Mammoth on Friday and at Lone Pine, the only other undefeated team in the DML, on Tuesday.
It was a positive start to the road trip.
"We're really starting to come along," Williams said. "We're almost where we need to be."
As far as the Desert girls, who were there supporting the boys following their win against the Vasquez girls, go, it was just a moment to learn from. Kids will be kids.
"They'll learn from it," Williams said. "It won't happen again hopefully."
Jan. 14, 2015
PALMDALE - Playfully trying to give the boys every edge they could get on Wednesday night, some members of the Desert girls basketball team began to shout, "5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" from the stands as Vasquez's Joel Salazar dribbled the ball on an offensive possession that still had 20 seconds left in it.
"Ehhhhh!" they cried out as Salazar fell for their false shot-clock countdown and rushed a shot that bounced way off the side of the rim.
Desert boys basketball coach Michael Williams immediately turned to the stands and told them: "Ladies, don't do that."
"Kids are being kids, you know," Williams said after his team beat Vasquez 50-36. "But I've got to stand up and let them know, 'Hey, we're going to be classy here.'"
In a victory that sent the Scorpions to 4-0 in Desert Mountain League play, they didn't need the defensive help anyway.
Desert held the Mustangs (3-2, 2-2 DML) to two points in the first quarter and four in the third and led by double digits for all but part of the first period. The Scorpions didn't allow a basket until the 5:21 mark of the second quarter, just moments after the girls' tricksy cheer.
"That was big. That was the game plan," Williams said. "We've been having problems defensively all year and I'm trying to convince these guys that we got to work. We got to play hard on both sides of the ball."
Vasquez netted five field goals for 10 points in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing 24-12, still feeling like they could make their way back into the game. Another rough shooting in the third quarter, however, sent them into the final period down by 20 points.
The bigger Scorpions' zone defense played a key role in the Mustangs' struggles, but on this night Vasquez also seemed to misfire on the easy shots.
"The players understand they control their effort and sometimes the shots don't go down," Vasquez coach Pat Abbott said. "They actually played really well. I was proud of them. They just missed a bunch of layups, period."
Vasquez saved its best for last. Down 36-16 entering the fourth, the Mustangs forced seven turnovers and exploded for 20 points, which included their only two 3-pointers of the game.
The Mustangs got within 15 midway through the period when David Duronslet laid in the last two of his team-leading 13 points, but got no closer. The deficit was just too large to overcome by then.
But give Vasquez credit. The Mustangs picked up the intensity and played the entire fourth quarter as if they were only down by a couple of possessions, even in the last two minutes.
"They just have to make shots, and they're getting easy shots," Abbott said. "So I'm proud of what they did tonight, I really am."
For Desert, which was led by Josh Bell's 18 points and Chad Gleason's 14, Wednesday was the first of five consecutive road games. The Scorpions play at Mammoth on Friday and at Lone Pine, the only other undefeated team in the DML, on Tuesday.
It was a positive start to the road trip.
"We're really starting to come along," Williams said. "We're almost where we need to be."
As far as the Desert girls, who were there supporting the boys following their win against the Vasquez girls, go, it was just a moment to learn from. Kids will be kids.
"They'll learn from it," Williams said. "It won't happen again hopefully."