Elizalde calmly leads Bruins to four wins
Junior had 31 points, 9 steals against Benicia
St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School girls basketball player Marissa Elizalde is very calm on the court. She doesn't get too high or too down at any point.
“I think my attitude has changed a lot since I was a freshman,” Elizalde says. “My coach — Nadine Walker — always tells me to have a short memory whether I'm doing something good or bad. She tells me, `If you do something wrong, then go out and do two things right.'”
This past week Elizalde did a lot of things right.
The junior helped the Bruins to a 4-0 week, improving their record to 18-5 and 5-4 in the Tri-County Athletic League. Although Elizalde didn't play in one of the wins, she was a force in the other three.
Against Benicia, she scored 31 points and had nine steals and six assists.
In a win against St. Mary's earlier in the week, she scored 17 points and had seven rebounds and three steals. Against Oakland, Elizalde scored 18 points and had eight assists, four steals, three blocks and seven rebounds.
She is the Times-Herald Athlete of the Week.
Walker has been impressed with Elizalde's attitude throughout the season.
“I liked her ability to bounce back from missed shots, or bounce back from a turnover,” Walker said earlier this month. “She would get stripped or fall but she would get right back up. That's what I'm most impressed with her right now.”
Elizalde points to the Bruins' chemistry as a big factor in their perfect week.
“We're playing really well as a team and we're becoming a family,” Elizalde said. “We have team lunches and we see each other in the hallway all the time
between classes. We're all locked in and the practices have had great energy. That makes the relationships on the team a lot better.”
Elizalde said the Bruins' defense — featuring her nine steals against Benicia — has also helped.
“Our defense is our bread and butter,” Elizalde said. “My teammates really helped me out with the nine-steal game because they put a lot of pressure on the dribbler and then they would throw a bad pass
and I'd be able to swoop up and get it.
“On offense, everything is working for me,” Elizalde continued. “I'm going to the basket more, hitting the 3-ball a lot, but more than anything my teammates are able to find me open.”
Elizalde, who has been on the varsity squad since her freshman year, said she has enjoyed playing basketball ever since she was old enough to dribble the ball.
“I fell in love with the sport right away. I loved how you could be so free on the court and do whatever you wanted,” Elizalde said. “But I also love the team aspect
of the game.”
Honorable mention
Lemock Bellot, Elite High boys basketball. Bellot lead a balanced scoring attack with 19 points in a win over St. Helena.
James Gallagher, St. Patrick-St. Vincent High boys basketball. Gallagher had 12 points in a win over Benicia, including the gamewinning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Darrell Hurd, Benicia boys basketball. Hurd had 21 points and two blocked shots for the Panthers in a loss to St. Patrick-St. Vincent. He also had 10 points and three rebounds in a
win over Berean Christian.
Ameera Musleh, Vallejo High girls basketball. Musleh scored 17 points in a win over Elite.
Christian Trusclair, Bethel boys basketball. Trusclair scored 21 points and had five rebounds and two steals against Kennedy and 20 points and three steals in a win over Richmond.
Jose Valencia, Benicia High boys soccer. Valencia had a hat trick in a win against Vallejo.
Brandon Viernes, American Canyon wrestling. Viernes won by pin in the 160-pound division against Justin Siena.