BY TREVOR HORN
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
The Natomas High School girls varsity basketball team is celebrating a happy new year.
The Lady Nighthawks (1-10) notched their first win of the season 53-48 against Pioneer (0-10) Thursday, Jan. 3.
The non-league game wasn’t pretty with 61 total turnovers between the two teams, but when it is the first victory of the season — players and coaches have something to celebrate.
“A win is a win, especially when we are 0-10, the win matters,” Natomas head coach Stuart Welch said.
The Patriots were a late addition to the non-league schedule when El Camino cancelled the varsity game.
Natomas High and Pioneer will still play two Tri-County Conference games this season, including another home game for the Nighthawks on Jan. 18. Getting into the win column against a league opponent is also a plus for the Nighthawks.
“A win always feels good,” sophomore Halle Hamre said. “It is a nice preview to see how league is going to carry out and see how we can play.”
Hamre scored 12 of her 17 points in the first quarter as the Nighthawks started off with a 12-2 lead midway through the first quarter. Natomas led throughout the entire game and held a 13-point lead in the third quarter.
Late turnovers allowed the Patriots to inch closer in the final minutes, but the Nighthawks withheld a comeback.
“We still feel good about our team,” Welch said. “If we minimize the turnovers, we have a chance in every single basketball game. If we do what we are supposed to do and we take care of our business, we can win basketball games.”
Ashley Davis also scored 17 points for Natomas to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds. Sierra Maun scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked five shots before fouling out with just over four minutes left in the game.
Natomas finished with 34 turnovers. Welch says that is the key factor in how well his team will be able to perform in league play that begins Jan. 11 at Woodland.
“We have one more game before league and we have to get control of this turnover thing. It is our Achilles heel,” Welch said.
The final non-league game is at Bella Vista in Fair Oaks on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
The Natomas High girls junior varsity team lost 76-51 to El Camino. Player Hayley Polk scored 38 points.
Natomas High Wrestling: The Nighthawks dropped the first TCC team match Thursday night at Yuba City 37-36. The teams tied 36-36, but the tiebreaker gives the final point to the team with the most individual wins, which went to the Honkers.
Talhah Fayyaz, Alex Gonzalez, Rafael Pantoja, and Jordan Sepeda all won individual matches for Natomas.
Both teams forfeited three weight classes, but Yuba City won seven matches to four by Natomas—which decided the final point outcome and a loss for the Nighthawks. Natomas had more wins by pin, resulting in the tie.
Email story ideas to Trevor Horn at [email protected] and follow Trevor on Twitter @trevhorn .
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