Robinson’s rebounds key Green Valley girls

Vajae Robinson scored only two first-half points in Green Valley’s girls basketball game at Silverado on Tuesday.

But the Gators senior’s contributions were far larger than anything recorded in the scorebook.

Robinson had 12 rebounds in the first half — including three on the offensive glass — to help the Gators build a 17-point lead. Green Valley never looked back en route to a 64-49 win in a battle between the top two teams in the Southeast League.

“She’s a special player,” Green Valley coach Lorenzo Jarvis said. “Last year, I told people she was a diamond in the rough. The rust is coming off, and now you’re seeing the diamond.”

Robinson finished with nine points and 20 rebounds for Green Valley (18-3, 7-0), which shot just 26 of 70 from the field (37.1 percent) but turned 18 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points.

“I know I had to do my part,” Robinson said. “I knew rebounding was going to be really important in this game because they’ve got girls who can get to the glass.”

Robinson was charged with her fourth foul midway through the third quarter but sat for only a minute before finishing the game without picking up a fifth foul.

“You can’t let a team like that get second and third chances,” Silverado coach Kelli Bray-Mathews said. “Vajae is nearly impossible to block out. She’s big, and she’s strong. We were trying to get her out of the game, but it wasn’t working.”

Silverado (16-4, 6-1) never recovered after falling behind 14-3. The Skyhawks pulled to within 22-15 in the second quarter but got no closer.

Green Valley’s starters accounted for all of the team’s points, led by Jazmine Jarvis’ 19. Aja Flipped added 15 and 13 rebounds. Danielle Christenson scored 11 points and Tatiana Mosley 10.

“This team plays together more than any team I’ve coached,” Lorenzo Jarvis said. “The girls have a lot of confidence in themselves. They just love playing together.”

Mikayla Thielges, limited to two first-half points, finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds for Silverado. Shea Collins scored 15 points and Alena Evans 11 for the Skyhawks.