21 Jan Big Second Half Propels Pinole Valley To Victory

Spartans sophomore point guard Jordin Broas-Jew, center, scored 13 points and seemed to be everywhere on the court.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

The Pinole Valley High Spartans beat the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High Bruins 57-51 at home Jan. 15, one night after their originally scheduled matchup was pushed back due to a referee scheduling issue.

In a game full of scoring runs, the Spartans used a big third quarter on offense and timely defensive stops to seal the win.

St. Patrick-St. Vincent High came in on a four game winning streak, the last two by 36 points combined. The Spartans had lost six of their last seven — the only victory coming by one point in overtime against Bethel High.

“It was nice to get a win here at home. I think it’s going to be a good turning point in the season,” said sophomore Spartans point guard Jordin Broas-Jew. He finished the game second in scoring for his team with 13 points.

 

Pinole Valley started on a 9-4 scoring run before their opponent returned the favor, 12-4, ending the opening frame ahead 16-13. 

Despite holding the Spartans to just four points in the second quarter, St. Patrick-St. Vincent High still only led by six going into halftime after being held to nine points themselves.

 

The stagnant half-court offenses of both teams quickly turned into a plethora of fastbreak transition points at the rim for Pinole Valley High when they came out of the locker room. The Spartans tallied more points in the third frame than their entire first half total of 19, which they doubled in the second half.

“Our coach talked to us, and we just turned the lightbulb on,” said Broas-Jew.

With the Bruins landing a thunderous slam dunk to start the third quarter and go up three possessions, it looked like the game might be slipping away from Pinole Valley.

 

The Spartans answered with their biggest scoring run of the game — 24-7 — using eight assists and again held St. Patrick-St. Vincent to a nine-point frame.

“That third quarter was probably the best basketball we’ve played all year,” said Spartans second year head coach Jason Maples. “The fact we took a punch when they came back and then we responded — we played through adversity which is something we had struggled with.”

 

The Bruins themselves went on another run, this time 12-3, to tie the game halfway through the fourth quarter.

Fouled ahead by one with 35 seconds remaining, Pinole Valley High missed both free throws. The Spartans went just 8-26 on foul shots; St. Patrick-St. Vincent, only 1-6.

 

Forcing two crucial turnovers with under 30 seconds to play, Pinole Valley High then righted the ship with Broas-Jew securing the win at the charity stripe.

“It feels good to get the losing streak out of the way,” said Spartans junior shooting guard Jaylin Reed, who led the game in scoring with 16 and added seven rebounds. 

The win also ended a streak of three consecutive losses to St. Patrick-St. Vincent High.

 

At 7-7 overall and 2-5 in Tri-County-Rock League play, the Bruins are at risk of having their first losing TCRL record since 2013 and first overall since 2007 — just before head coach of 16 years Derek Walker took over the team.

Pinole Valley High lost just two TCRL matchups in their 2021 and 2022 campaigns combined but have now dropped 11 in less than two seasons since.

“We’ve been kind of in a rut, so we’re just focused on playing the right way and getting back to the basics of what makes us good — sharing the ball and communicating on defense,” said Maple.

 

With a young core of players featuring no seniors in their top six scorers, the Spartans showed what they are capable of.

“The team came together, and we balled out even though we’re missing key players,” said Reed.

 

The 6-foot-3 Reed leads his team in per game averages of 18.4 points, 42% shooting, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1 block — as well as pacing the North Coast Section Division 3 in rebounds and free throws while being No. 2 in double-doubles with six. But in this game, he was again without fellow junior Ahmari Otis, who was sidelined after injuring his shoulder Jan. 9 against El Cerrito High.

Otis, who is expected to miss another three matchups before returning this week on the road facing St. Mary’s High, averages just behind his teammate with 18.3 points per game on 39% shooting and leads the TCRL in three-point shots made — despite playing only seven of 17 possible games. Reed and Otis together sit at No. 1 and 2 in TCRL points per game; No. 13 and 14 in the entire North Coast Section, respectively.