Wins were not in the cards for Analy and El Molino varsity squads in the opening stretch of North Bay League hoops, with both weathering a pair of losses.
The Flying Tigers (0-2, 8-8) fell to NBL Oak Division foes Cardinal Newman (63-57) and Piner (54-27), while the Lions dropped NBL Redwood Division games to Elsie Allen (48-46) and Maria Carrillo (71-45).
This week, Analy will visit Windsor on Jan. 14 (after press time) and travel to El Molino for a non-league contest on Monday, Jan. 20, while El Molino (0-2, 2-15) hits the road for games at Ukiah (Jan. 14) and at Healdsburg (Jan. 16). Tip-off times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Analy comes up short
Despite taking a loss, Analy’s Jan. 7 visit to Newman was a confidence-builder of sorts, demonstrating that the Tigers can hang with one of the top teams in the Redwood Empire. Analy rode the hot hand of senior Kevin Wagner (28 points) to take a 32-30 lead at the half, but foul trouble would sabotage a great effort as the Cardinals went on to post a 63-57 win.
“We played great,” Tigers coach Jason Carpenter said. “My guys competed and came very close to defeating them on their home court.”
It was all Piner two nights later in Santa Rosa, with an outstanding defensive effort by the Prospectors effectively shutting down the Analy offense.
Lions fall to Lobos, Pumas
The Lions deserved a better fate in the Jan. 8 home tilt with Elsie Allen, taking a 34-28 lead into the fourth quarter. The Lions led by 10 with three minutes to go but went cold from the outside as the Lobos chipped away. Elsie Allen took the lead in the waning seconds and hung on for the win.
“We shot the Lobos back into the game and failed to get stops when we needed them,” El Mo coach Collin Walker reflected. “I give Elsie Allen all the credit in the world for not giving up and fighting hard to come back, but we had no business losing that game.”
Pacing the El Mo attack were Abel Perez (8 points), Noah Kenny (8 points), Logan Woolsey (7 points), Saben Atteberry (6 points), Pat Atkinson (5 points) and Aiden Louis (5 points).
The Lions were never in the game in the Jan. 10 home clash with Maria Carrillo, spotting the Pumas a 27-14 halftime lead en route to a 71-45 loss. Top scorers for El Mo were Perez (14 points), Atteberry (11 points) and Woolsey (9 points).
