Casa girls will bring their tenacious defense to the VVAL

Nothing new about Casa Grande girls’ tough defense|

One guarantee basketball opponents of the Casa Grande Lady Gauchos face this season is that defense will be part of the equation. Casa has not missed the North Coast Section playoffs in 10 seasons, and its match-up zone defense gets better each year.

The Gauchos move out of the North Bay League and into the newly formed Vine Valley Athletic League this season, and the overall future for all league teams is a complete unknown. Sonoma Valley and Petaluma join the Gauchos in a new league also featuring three Napa schools and American Canyon.

Some things don’t change, however. Coach Dan Sack’s club will be uncomfortable to play every night because it will once again feature a swarming and tenacious defense. Defense isn’t always the fun part of basketball because it takes hard work, and the Gauchos are geared again to make things difficult for their opponents each trip up the floor.

“We are not where we want to be yet,” noted Sack before a season-opening 60-54 loss at the hands of a good Rancho Cotate team on Thursday. “This is a very young team, and we have missed some practice time because of the school closings the past week.”

Still, the trapping Gaucho defense forced 18 turnovers by the experienced Lady Cougars.

Gone for the Gauchos is the familiar figure of four-year veteran scoring leader Mia Cain. An all NBL selection in her final two seasons for Casa Grande, Cain leaves a huge gap in the offense, but her young supporting cast returns with a solid season of experience when Casa went 15-13.

Guards Trinity Merwin and Sophia Gardea got a full season of experience in the back court as freshmen. Both return, and they should bring with them a more improved brand of defensive trapping, and the approval of Sack to open up even more on the offensive end.

Merwin was especially explosive in her first campaign, and had no problems penetrating defenses with her driving style. She was back at work against Rancho with a team-leading 19 points. The energetic Gardea fouled out in the fourth quarter and it made a difference.

Third-year interior player Samantha Dedrickson returns after a solid season on the Gaucho volleyball team. She can take her game outside, and gets the nod from Sack to deliver soft shots from the outside when the Gauchos are reversing the ball around the perimeter. She is joined in the starting lineup by improving senior co-captain Jennifer Loyo.

Junior sharpshooter Emma Reese came off the bench last season to deliver big outside shots from beyond the 3-point arc. It will be the third varsity season for Reese, who will be counted on to contribute more from the offensive end.

“Emma is a good shooter and she has looked very good in early season drills,” said Sack. Reese dropped in 11 points in a starting role against the Cougars. Three of her shots were from outside the 3-point stripe.

When it is possible, Sack rotates into the game a defensive unit which includes sophomore Ashley Casper and first-year players Mazin Dahmani and Lily Peterson. “So far, the two freshmen have given us great intensity on the defensive end,” said Sack.

In the middle, Sack expects Shayla Dunker and 6-foot freshman Grace Fragakis to contribute as the season settles in. Junior guard Emily Boulad and freshman Cassie Llaverias are also battling for playing time along with second-year player Meghan Bendick.

The highly competitive narrow loss to Rancho might be a good indicator that Casa is ready for another strong season. Rancho is favored in the North Bay League Redwood this season, led by 6-foot, 1-inch center Kierra Johnson. Johnson had 23 points on shots close to the basket against Casa. The two teams split the season series last year.

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