The suspense was over early in the first ‘Apple Game” between the Lady Tigers and Lions on Jan. 22, as Analy raced to an insurmountable first-half lead and never looked back en route to a 61-22 victory.
The win, coupled with a 54-17 romp over Elsie Allen two nights earlier, kept the Tigers unbeaten after one full trip around the Sonoma County League circuit.
At the start of play this week Analy (11-9, 6-0) had a one-game edge on second-place Sonoma Valley (5-1) and were two games up on third-place Healdsburg (4-2). Rounding out the league standings were Petaluma (3-3), Piner (2-4), El Molino (1-5) and Elsie Allen (0-6).
Both teams will resume SCL action this week as the Lady Tigers enter a critical stretch with a Thursday, Jan. 28 visit to Sonoma Valley, followed by a Tuesday, Feb. 2, home clash against Petaluma.
The Lions (4-18 overall), had scheduled road games at Petaluma (Jan. 26, after press time) and Piner (Jan. 28). El Mo returns home on Feb. 2, to face Sonoma Valley. Game times starting with the frosh are 4:30/6/7:30 p.m.
Tigers on a roll
Analy wasted no time in taking control of the Jan. 22, meeting with the visiting Lions, setting the tone with an 18-6 run out of the gate before grabbing a 45-11 cushion at the half. The Tigers maintained the advantage throughout the second half on their way to a 61-22 rout.
“We disrupted them from the top, and we were able to force turnovers,” Tigers coach Earl Pasamonte said, citing his team’s 18 steals and just nine Analy turnovers on the night. “We got a good game from both our ‘bigs’ and we continued to improve on taking care of the ball.”
Bella Niedermair led the Analy attack with 10 points, while Saja Spearman-Weaver chipped in eight for the Tigers.
Leading scorers for El Molino were Emily Dean (5 points), Grace Anderson (5 points), Sim Kaur (4 points), Kristine Daniels (4 points), Madison Dean (2 points, 2 rebounds) and Gabby Bushgen (2 points, 2 rebounds).
Analy began the week with a 54-17 road victory over an over-matched Elsie Allen squad, as the Tigers bolted to a 36-5 halftime lead. Niedermair led the way with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Other top scorers included Amelia Benjamin (6), Spearman-Weaver (6), Bailey Hunter (6), Whitney Ferrell (5), Deanna Hayes (4), Hannah Dexter (4), Maddie Strom (3), Riley Blust (2), Sarah Brown (2), Jessica Sparks (2) and Sophie McFadin (2).
