Head women’s basketball coach Arden Kragalott’s decision to run man-on-man defense and a full-court press were the keys to the De Anza Dons’ (16-6, 9-1) victory over the Hartnell Panthers (7-14, 1-4) Wednesday night.
The Panthers’ limited roster forced them to overwork their starting five for the full 40 minutes of game time. The Dons, however, were able to rotate their players with a team roster of thirteen players.
The Dons denied passes, dove for loose balls, blocked shots, forced jump balls, and hit the deck six times during the course of the game.
At halftime, the Dons were up 6: De Anza 41, Hartnell 35. In the second half, the Dons locked their defense down another notch.
Though most of the Panthers’ points came from errant or deflected passes and a banked threepointer, their luck would not be enough against the Dons.
De Anza forced numerous turnovers through their full-court press, denying the Panthers the chance to inbound or get the ball across the halfcourt line. Hartnell had at least a dozen turnovers that led to multiple De Anza fastbreak points.
De Anza’s players did have a few problems with passing the ball with three-on-two down an open court or just being ready for a pass on a fastbreak, but they finished enough baskets to give themselves a ten-point cushion for the remainder of the game.
Sophomore power-forward Monica Abelardo (45) put on another solid performance by denying post-entry passes, good footwork on defense, and finishing give-and-go’s.
Freshmen point-guard Mika Yanai (11) who rained a couple three-pointers, was the quickest player back on defense, and led the majority of the fastbreaks. Freshmen shooting-guard Derisa Taleni (24) earned her minutes by diving to save possession of the ball several times.
Sophomore center Dacia Taleni (51) was not only a force to be reckoned with in the post, she also brought humor and encouragement to her teammates on the court.
“I like the sound of that,” a fan shouted from the stands in response to a second made freethrow.
“You like that radio station?” Taleni asked before redirecting her focus to the game.
De Anza won by thirteen points, beating Hartnell 83 to 70. The Dons play San Jose City College on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the SJCC campus at 5:30 p.m.