Casa Grande girls win to stay atop Vine Valley Athletic League basketball standings

PETALUMA - Coach Dan Sack has 13 girls on his Casa Grande High School basketball roster, and he uses them all freely.

Before the game, he promised he’d get all of them get in the game, even in the first half. He did.

“What I’m most pleased about with this team is that ... you’ll see all 13 girls in the rotation,” he said, noting it hasn’t happened in a long time. “We do a lot of subbing ... because they all contribute. They all work hard in practice.”

His Gauchos’ hard work is paying off. They are 8-1 in the Vine Valley Athletic League, tied with Vintage for first place.

Casa Grande put away American Canyon 67-30 Thursday night in a game where the Gauchos took a 10-0 lead and never looked back.

Casa junior guard Emma Reese scored a game-high 24 points on seven three-pointers, and her backcourt partner Trinity Merwin added 18 points and 7 rebounds.

American Canyon’s quick freshman guard Trinity Billingsley had a team-high 8 points for the 2-7 Wolves.

“I just felt it tonight,” Reese said of her hot hand from distance, especially the left corner. “My teammates set up shots for me.”

Merwin, too, spread the credit around.

“It feels good to be able to drive but also kick it, knowing my teammates will hit it,” said the sophomore guard, who dished five assists.

Casa had the strongest resume going into the game, at 7-1, while the Wolves were 2-6 and near the bottom of the VVAL standings.

But Wolves coach Angela Davis was hopeful that her young team could capitalize on wins this month over Sonoma Valley and Justin-Siena. Davis starts three freshmen and two seniors.

But Casa’s depth and height advantage kept the Wolves restrained.

Senior Sam Dedrickson had 10 rebounds in the game, including seven in the first quarter - six offensive, allowing the Gauchos too many extra chances.

Casa outscored the Wolves 24-5 in the first quarter.

American Canyon’s Alexis Woodson, one of Davis’ freshmen, had been averaging 10.4 points a game going in.

But Casa’s defense held her to just six points total, two in the first half, as the Gauchos pushed ahead to lead 37-14 at the half. Casa went on two 10-0 runs in the half.

Sack complimented his team’s defensive intensity, particularly once the gap widened to 20 and 30 points.

“Our defense is really coming together,” he said. “In the first quarter, we had a ton of rebounds. With the pressure, we had more shots than our opponents.”

That gave Sack and his team more room to execute some new offensive plays and rotate the entire lineup into the game for long stretches.

Down by more than 20 in the fourth quarter, American Canyon continued to press, with Billingsley harassing Casa ball-handlers and causing several turnovers with her quick hands.

“We don’t look past these games,” Sack said, saying it hardens his team against tough defenses. “We want them to get composure. So when it happens in a (closer) game, we’ve got the right frame of mind.”

With three league games left, the Gauchos know they can’t let down against Petaluma, Justin-Siena and Napa.

“There’s a lot of parity in the new league,” Sack said. “Every night you’ve gotta play.”

You can reach staff writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.