Xavier Prep’s stay in the annual Section 7 Basketball Tournament was short-lived, but the Gators made the most of the time they did have with a pair of victories on Thursday (June 16) in the event at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
The Gators
defeated Phoenix Pinnacle 49-40 and Mesa High 64-48 and were due to play two
more on Friday (June 17) but had to respectfully decline those games against
Surprise Valley Vista and Coronado (Las Vegas) due to summer school
commitments, according to Coach Jennifer Gillom.
Thursday’s
play also marked the return of junior point guard Dom Nesland to the lineup.
She played in the recent Lady Extravaganza tournament in Goodyear but was
unavailable to play in the early portion of the Thunderbird Summer League in
north Phoenix due to her participation in club competition out of state. She is
expected to play when the Gators return to T-Bird in the coming week for a pair
of games on Monday (June 20) and Tuesday (June 21).
So now,
counting the Lady Extravaganza, the T-Bird league and the Section 7, the Gators
are at 7-3. It certainly is something to build on.
And with
fellow junior guard Sarah Miller out with a knee injury, Nesland appears to be
a strong building block.
She scored
19 points in the win over Pinnacle and 23 in the win over Mesa. She basically
was all over the floor and even left it momentarily in the first game when she
crashed through an empty row of folding chairs along the side of the court.
The Gators’
shooting effort was one of their better ones of the summer, particularly with
the long-range 3-pointers. They charted eight in the first game, including
seven in the early part of the contest (16-minute halves were used). They came
back for 10 more against Mesa.
With the
12-court setup for the event in the large open spaces of the stadium, one might
think it could take awhile for the shooters to adjust with all the movement
from other courts going on around them as well as the bright LED-type lighting.
Nesland was
asked if she ever played in a similar environment.
She said she
once played in an event such as this, but this took some getting used to.
“It wasn’t
so much the movement surrounding you, it was more of the depth perception. You
know, is the basket closer or farther?’’ she said.
She said it
was good to see the 3’s dropping early in the first game.
“Yeah,
sometimes you live by that, other times not,’’ she said.
Gillom said
Nesland’s versatility “opens things up for us. It was good to see her back out
there.’’
After the
early run of 3’s, the Gators cooled off and Pinnacle was able to creep a bit
closer.
“That was
typical Xavier summer basketball,’’ Gillom said. “We need to learn to play a
full game, not just three-fourths. It’s not a good way to do things.’’
Once the 3’s
start clanking off the rim or simply drawing air, the players need to find
something else.
“You have to
be able to mix it up,’’ she said.
Sophomore
guard Lucy Sanford did her part by hitting three 3’s.
Against
Mesa, Xavier built a 10-point halftime lead after struggling late in the first
half but regained its composure with six straight points to close it out on a 3
by Nesland, a follow shot by sophomore post player CeCe Mlat and a driving shot
by junior guard Jasmine Olivar.
Xavier went
on an 8-1 run to begin the second half to put things well in hand.
Olivar
finished with 10 points and junior Maureen “Mo’’ Ulrich had 10 while continuing
to work the boards.
“We did a
much better job (than the first game) in both ends of the floor,’’ Gillom said.
The coach
remains optimistic in regard to the development of the 6-foot-6 Mlat, who
before coming to Xavier a year ago as a freshman had limited experience.
“We haven’t
had many practices, so she has had to learn things while she’s playing (in
games),’’ Gillom said. “She’s getting better out there and I think by the time
the season starts (in late fall), she is going to be ready.’’
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