The Analy Lady Tigers emerged from a tough stretch on the Sonoma County League hard-court unscathed last week, scoring critical wins over Petaluma (56-35), Piner (41-34) and Healdsburg (41-40, OT).
The string of impressive victories ran Analy’s win streak to four games, pushing their first-place league record to 4-0 and an even 9-9 overall.
The Tigers will host cross-town rival El Molino in the first of two scheduled games this Friday, Jan. 22 (4:30/6/7:30 p.m.).
The phrase, “On any given night” has been the best way to describe the upper echelon in league this month, with the Tigers using gritty play to slip past the top projected teams.
“This league is so even, it’s scary,” Analy coach Earl Pasamonte said. “I will say that it was very nice to come out of our first four games at 4-0. The girls have done such a great job defensively – they’ve made the necessary adjustments in order to slow down the best player on the other team. When we’re this good defensively, we can withstand some poor shooting nights. I believe that we’re also getting better,” he added.
Tigers notch wins
The Lady Tigers ventured into hostile Petaluma territory on Jan. 11, responding with their best effort of the season. Analy took charge from the jump-start, racing to an 18-12 lead after one and a 29-19 cushion at the break. Analy kept its foot on the throttle after intermission, holding the Trojans to just five points in the third quarter en route to a convincing, 56-35 win. Bailey Hunter paced the offense with 12 points, while Sophie McFadin added 11.
Analy might have come in flat in its Jan. 13 visit to Piner, as they eked out a slim, 22-20 lead at the half. The Tigers turned up the defensive heat in the third quarter to increase the advantage to eight points, and held off a game Piner squad down the stretch to notch a 41-34 win. Isabella Niedermair and McFadin shared scoring honors with 10 points apiece.
“They scored 34 points and 22 of them were at the free throw line,” Pasamonte noted. “We didn’t shoot the ball that great, but we preach to the girls that if we hold our opponent under 40 points we have a good chance to win.”
Analy entertained Healdsburg on Jan. 15, in another meeting loaded with SCL title implications. The contest did not disappoint, as the teams waged an intense battle that needed an extra frame before being decided.
Trailing 33-27 after three, Healdsburg surged into the league in the fourth quarter with a chance to put the game away. But Analy’s Sarah Brown scored on a lay-up in the final seconds to send it to overtime knotted at 37-all. The game was finally decided at the foul line, as Analy junior Bailey Hunter sank a free throw with three seconds remaining to lift the Tigers to a 41-40 win. Brown led the way with 14 points, while Niedermair chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.
