DANVILLE, Calif. – San Ramon Valley faced a beast of a starting lineup in the Vanden Vikings when the team from Fairfield came to town on Tuesday night. And for about 28 out of 32 minutes, the sharp-shooting Wolves made for a worthy opponent, creating an equal matchup between two high-level teams who have had lots of success in recent years.
It was in those other four minutes that made the biggest difference, as a 20-0 Vanden run in the third quarter propelled the Vikings to an 86-75 victory.
Alyssa Jackson was simply magic, tallying 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, in addition to disrupting multiple plays and producing several thefts. Jiana Creswell had 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists, and was particularly effective during the run.
Kiari Roberts also had a big night with 18 points, four boards, and three steals. Gabby Wright had just four points but seemed in the middle of numerous plays and had 10 rebounds and three blocks.
“Our girls did a great job of not compounding a missed opportunity or a mistake,” Vanden coach Allison Johnson said. “They responded immediately with something positive and made that contagious. Things that I haven’t seen them do, that they did tonight, come to fruition - that’s fun.”
Vanden (3-0) jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, but it wasn’t long before San Ramon Valley (1-2) got rolling. Allison Stearns and Natalie Pasco filled up the stat column in the period and were the primary reasons the Wolves found themselves up by four at the period’s end.
At the half, San Ramon Valley led 41-38 and it looked like the game might go down to a final shot or two. The Wolves scored the first five points of the third, but after that it was all Vanden as a flurry of drives, bank shots, three-pointers, leaps, and deft passes fueled the 20-0 run.
“We came out wanting more,” Jackson said. “We came out hungrier.”
Though displeased with some of the calls and often being stymied by the Vanden defense, San Ramon Valley refused to give up. Still, the Wolves trailed 71-56 after the third and could only keep pace in the fourth. A Wolves’ three at the buzzer was just a minor consolation for the home crowd.
Pasco continued to shine as the Wolves’ leading scorer, pouring in 21 to go with 14 rebounds, and Stearns registered 10 points, seven assists, and six boards. Sierra Chambers, a sophomore point guard, impressed with her hustle, and finished with 19 points, while fellow sophomore starter Amanda Kerner chipped in 11.
Vanden enters a series of tournament games, starting on Thursday at Piedmont, while San Ramon Valley, which suffered a loss at Pinewood three days earlier, has four non-league contests before the holiday, including one against Cardinal Newman.
“Our season last year was so abbreviated,” Johnson said. “The kids think that at any point it can get taken away. They know that we need to focus on what we can control. Embracing it every day, that’s definitely what [the pandemic] has taught us.”
