Coming off an upset 51-54 loss to Los Molinos in their Mid-Valley League opener on January 11, the Williams Yellowjackets bounced back last Friday night with a strong second half to down county and MVL rival Maxwell 71-41.
While the ‘Jackets jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first quarter using aggressive full court pressure to frustrate the Panthers, the game stagnated in the second period as both teams struggled with turnovers and missed shots.
Athough Williams got away from its inside game, the Yellowjackets did enough to maintain an eight-point advantage at 26-18 going into the locker room at the half.
Intermission served the ‘Jackets well, however, as they came out reenergized in the third period, outscoring Maxwell 25-10 to break the game open and cruise to the eventual victory.
While Williams’s two seniors Brian Rosales and Leo Trujillo led the way with 15 points apiece, the Yellowjackets got strong play from four juniors as well.
Kyden Bowen finished with 14 points, Daniel Brunner had 10 points, while Johnathan Gutiérrez added nine points, and Alexis Velazquez chipped in with eight points.
For the Panthers, who suffered a 43-60 loss to Hamilton City in their MVL opener on January 11 and fell to 0-2 in the MVL, Cale Kuska had a solid effort tallying 11 points, while Dillon Dry dropped in 10.
Both teams were back in action this week with the ‘Jackets (11-6, 1-1) facing off against the Braves in Hamilton City on Wednesday before hitting the road to meet CORE Butte in Chico on Friday.
Maxwell (7-7) was at CORE Butte on Wednesday and will be at Biggs on Friday. ■
