Jacks’ strong first half leads to victory over Tigers

QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks (4-13) defended home court after they defeated the Ephrata Tigers (2-14) 59-32 on Friday. Head coach Johan Farias was jovial to see his players earn a win over their rivals.   

“I feel excited, it's always great to go out there against your rivals and win like that, especially with the packed house. This was awesome for the girls,” Farias said.   

The Jacks hopped out to a commanding 20-7 lead in the first quarter. Scoring by Janely Ramirez Farias, Jenevy Gudino and Chloe Medina helped them build a 43-22 lead by halftime. The game slowed down in the second half for both teams, but Quincy’s defense remained sound as they cruised to their fourth win of the season.   

“We talked all week that it was going to be a packed house. Even when I played here, it was a packed stadium, always against Ephrata. It's those rivalry games that get like this, and the atmosphere is awesome. I told them, ‘Soak it all in. These are the type of games you can remember in 10 years,’” Farias said.   

Medina led the team with 24 points, most of which came in the first half. She was consistently finding scores in the paint and from midrange. If she could not find a scoring opportunity, she had no issue shipping the ball out to Janely or Gudino.   

Despite a steep 20-7 lead after the first quarter, the Tigers responded in the second quarter. Behind Sophia Molitor, Jillian Linehan and Maycee Black at the free-throw line, the Tigers were able to put up 15 points as a team. However, the Jacks kept the hot hand as they outscored Ephrata 23-15 heading into halftime.   

Farias was complimentary of his players' effort on defense in the first half.   

“Making them turn the ball over, us running in transition. I told the girls, ‘They cannot keep up with us, just run, and then we have to run our set stuff and just execute,” he said.   

In the second half, the Jacks and Tigers dug in on defense as they held each other to single digits in the third and fourth quarters. Ephrata’s Cassidy Cox, Black and Linehan put together a unified effort on offense for the Tigers in the second half. Medina, Janely, Sofia Camacho-Garibay and Karaline Townsend account for Quincy’s offensive production on their way to victory.   

Farias said his players' ability to get shots up inside the paint was a key element in their win Friday.   

“Hustle stats and paint touches, one of the key things we always need to do is get the ball to the paint and good things are going to happen... and they did,” he said.   

The Tigers hosted the Selah Vikings on Jan. 24; results at the time of press were not available. They host the Othello Huskies on Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.  

The Jacks host Ellensburg on Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. as they look to finish the season strong.   

“We're finally clicking,” Farias said. “We've been playing good, so that's all I can ask for. These girls finally answered the call, and they were motivated today. It was awesome to see. Before the jump, they were all excited and ready to go. We've been hyping them up all week because rival league games are always awesome and they're fun."   

BOX SCORE:   

EPHT: 7-15-7-3: 32
QNCY: 20-23-8-8: 59  

    Jaylynn Nava (20) looks for an open teammate as the Tigers’ Jillian Linehan (14) guards her at the three-point line.
  

    The Tigers’ Maycee Black (24) brings the ball up the court as Head Coach Alain Black calls out to her team in the background.
  

    Quincy Head Girls Basketball Coach Johan Farias, middle, looks over the gameplan with Estrella Renteria (24) and Sofia Camacho-Garibay (13) during a timeout.