JA hoopsters on a run

A rough start can turn into a fine finish.

That was the case for the Jefferson Academy girls in their 44-28 victory against visiting The Academy last Friday.  

Broomfield’s Jefferson Academy trailed Westminster’s The Academy, 6-5, after the first quarter of play in a game in which neither team could get much offense on track. It got a little better in the second quarter as the Jaguars were able to lead, 22-20, at the half.

Offense aside, Jefferson Academy’s defense was tough as it held The Academy to only four points in each of the third and fourth quarters. The Jaguars, coached by Crystal Deichert, improved to 4-3 while The Academy, coached by Steve Cancino, fell to 2-3.

Alycia Wright, with 12 points, and Kristi Nagai, with 11, were the only players from either team to reach double figures. Of course, a win-is-a-win despite the number of points scored by the team members.

Nagai, who is finally back in the lineup following an injury, might have had a better night in scoring had she not had to set out several minutes with four fouls. And, she would eventually foul out with 2:54 left in the game.

“It felt good coming back from my injury and just good to work with the team,” said Nagai, who scored half of Jefferson Academy’s first half points, but held scoreless in the second half. “The game for me didn’t quite go the way I hoped and how I had planned. But we all came back strong after the holiday break. We picked it up in the second half and played pretty good.”

Deichert felt a bit down by her teams start, but in the end, was more than pleased with the winning outcome.

“It was a rough start, but we put together a better second half,” Deichert said. “Our kids off the bench were very helpful today, and we came through with some big rebounds and defensive play. Coming back after the holiday break is tough, but this is a good win to get us going for the rest of the season.”

Jefferson Academy pretty much put the game out of reach for The Academy building a 36-24 lead heading into the final quarter. It gave Wright a pretty good feeling.

“Our team did well on defense and we were able to pick it up in the second half on offense,” Wright said. “It was such a slow beginning, but certainly good to come away with the win. It’s just nice to get back into playing after the vacation break and we will have to work hard on improvement.”

It was, indeed, a tough night for The Academy’s Hannah Paschke and Ronnie Garcia and Cancino.

“I think we just were frustrated and were not really focused,” Paschke said. “We had a good vacation, but just not able to put things together now that we’re back.”

“We played against an aggressive team, and it was good to have the competition,” added Garcia. “There is still a lot we can do and I think we can be a lot better and more aggressive on our part.”

Thoughts also expressed by Cancino.

“Our team was not focused and we just were not able to do what we needed to do,” Cancino said. “Our defense was good in the first half, but in the second we couldn’t come up with the necessary plays to stop them. We missed a pair of our players, who are out of town, but our girls still played well. We’re just hopeful that we will have a better season as it goes on.”

Jefferson Academy will host Northridge, Jan. 8, and Lyons, Jan. 10. The Academy girls also have a pair of home games, Jan. 6, against Jefferson, and Jan. 8, against St. Mary’s.

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