The Flying Tigers hit the ground running in the high school basketball season opener against Ukiah on Saturday, soaring past the visiting Wildcats in a 57-43 victory.
The resounding win was a result of balanced scoring and solid defensive play, giving head coach Jason Carpenter his first varsity “W” after several seasons leading the Analy freshman and junior varsity teams.
“It was a good win the first game of the season — big sighs all the way around,” he reported. “I’m proud of the boys.”
The Tigers (1-0) will ramp up preseason action beginning on Thursday, Nov. 29, when they venture north for the annual Fred Iten Tournament in Ukiah, opening the tourney on Nov. 29 in a 4 p.m. tip-off with Petaluma.
“We know the competition only gets tougher from here,” Carpenter noted. “We need to get better defensively and continue to develop more flow on offense.”
Tigers notch win
Analy got out of the blocks quickly in the Nov. 24 meeting with Ukiah, racing to a 14-7 lead after one. The Tigers led 27-19 at the half and pulled away in the final period, powering to a 14-point margin of victory.
Pacing the offensive attack for Analy were Quinn Vermuelan (14 points), Antonio Sanchez (10 points), Kevin Wagner (10 points), Avi Gitlin (10 points), JJ Fain (5 points), Sam Housman (4 points), Sage Bork (3 points) and Brenden Martinez (1 point).
Lions ready to roar
El Molino (1-0) was idle last week but begin a busy stretch when they host Justin Siena on Nov. 27 (after press time). The Lions will compete in the 70th annual Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament in Healdsburg on Dec. 5-8.
