FREMONT – Regardless of what the scoreboard reads, Juan Vela wants the Ross girls basketball team to play the same way: With consistency, poise and intelligence.
The Lady Giants lost their way in their previous outing, where a fourth-quarter lead slipped away to become a two-point loss to Lima Senior. Monday night, hosting a program in Toledo Woodward that is building itself from the ground-up, the Lady Giants wanted to make sure they played their consistent brand of basketball.
So while the Lady Giants coasted to a blowout victory against the Polar Bears, the most important aspect of the 81-13 win was how they achieved it.
Brooklyn Baptista
“No matter what, you always want your kids to play together, you want your kids to do things right, no matter who you’re going (against),” Vela said. “I always tell them, it doesn’t matter if we’re up or down, or who we’re playing, just play and do things right.
Ross wasted little time jumping on the over-matched Polar Bears. Brooklyn Baptista and Marissa Overmyer hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening minute. After Woodward scored to make the game 8-2, the Lady Giants scored the final 22 points of the quarter to lead 30-2 after the first period.
Ross went on another extended scoring run in the second quarter, outscoring Woodward 18-0 at one point, the final basket of which came from Rachel Gore, finishing an easy lay-in after Baptista gave her a fantastic bounce pass spanning more than half the court and through traffic.
Jazmin Bulger finished with a game-high 23 points while Baptista scored 21 with nine rebounds and four assists and Olivia Baptista added 12. Ten out of the 11 Lady Giants in uniform Monday night scored and many reserve players saw the most playing time they’ve had yet this season.
“It brings the girls together, it gets them excited,” Vela said. “It’s always fun to score points, whether you’re a starter or the last one on the bench.
Jazmin Bulger
“Everybody that went into tonight obviously played hard,” he added. “We want to build consistency throughout the season, no matter who the opponent is. We’re not NBA players who can just turn the switch on. We have to get in a rhythm of playing the best we can every time we step on the court.”
The win lifts Ross to 6-2 overall this season. The Lady Giants return to action Thursday at home against Oregon Clay.
Through the first quarter of the season, Vela likes his team’s offensive capabilities, but believes the Lady Giants have work to do to become more well-rounded.
“We’re not where I want to be yet. I think defensively we can get a lot better,” Vela said. “Offensively, I think we can be better, consistently. I think we can hit more shots than we have. I think free throws needs to improve percentage-wise. There is a lot of work to be done still. We’re still in the second quarter of the season so there is still a lot of basketball left. We got to continue getting better.”
Prior to the season, Vela wondered if this Ross team – though improved in skill and versatility – would have the same level of grit and competitiveness as previous squads. While so far the results have been mixed, Vela believes the Lady Giants have the grit they’ll need down the road.
“I like the work ethic. We’re challenging them in practice and they respond well,” he said. “Against Madison we showed a lot of grit at home, and that was great to see us overcome that game. Against Lima, it went the other way around. We’re going to have more games likes that and so that’s something I can tell you more about probably in the third or fourth quarter of the season.”
Fremont Ross 81, Woodward 13
ROSS (81)
Bulger 10 0-0 23; O. Baptista 4 2-2 12; B. Baptista 8 2-2 21; Sabiers 0 2-4 2; Overmyer 1 2-3 5; Gore 2 1-1 5; Horn 2 0-0 4; Nason 1 0-0 3; Szymanowski 2 0-0 4; Dodson 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 9-12 81.
3-pointers – Ross, 10 (Bulger 3; B. Baptista 3; O. Baptista 2; Overmyer 1; Nason 1).