The Lady Jaguars continued their season progression with a solid showing at their own Windsor Rumble in the Jungle Basketball Tournament on Dec. 12-14, claiming one win in three games to secure fourth place.
The ladies opened the tournament in winning fashion on Thursday against McKinleyville, erasing a sizable early deficit with a strong second half en route to a 48-41 win.
“It was a nice comeback, being down seven heading into the fourth quarter,” Windsor coach Joe Passalacqua reported. “The girls never stopped playing.”
Meredith Gilbertson paced the offense with 17 points and six rebounds. Other top efforts were had by Sophia Romero (15 points, 13 boards) and Grace Boyle (11 points, 4 assists).
The win propelled the Jags into Friday’s semifinal against a tough Vanden squad, trailing by just 28-27 at the half before the Vikings pulled away in the last two quarters to win, 63-39. Gilbertson had 16 points and 14 boards while Boyle chipped in eight points and four assists.
“We knew we were in for a battle and we only had seven players after injuries to Savanah Smith and Riley West,” Passalacqua noted. “We played our best ball of the year in the first half but couldn’t sustain the pace.”
The ladies faced Napa in Saturday’s clash for third place, but turnovers would sabotage an otherwise solid effort as the Grizzlies scored a 43-40 win.
“The girls were tired from the night before,” Passalacqua said. “Nataleigh Johnson came off the bench to score eight points and energize the team with her gusto and effort.”
Gilbertson locked up all-tourney honors with 17 points and six rebounds, while Romero had 10 points and 14 boards.
The Lady Jags (1-6) will open the North Bay League season on Saturday, Dec. 21 in a 7:30 p. m. varsity tip-off at Cardinal Newman.
