Windsor finishes up championship season with 23-6 record
The varsity basketball Jaguars wrapped up a stellar 2017-18 basketball campaign on Feb. 20, dropping an electrifying 52-50 decision to #8 seeded visiting Tamalpais in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division-2 playoffs.
Windsor finished the season with a North Bay League championship and an overall record of 23-6.
The opening round clash with the visiting Red Tailed Hawks was the second meeting between teams this season, with the Jags having lost 59-54 to Tam in the preseason in December.
The opening round playoff game would be a continuation of the other, with this one coming down to the final shot before the Hawks would prevail.
In a fierce battle of momentum swings, the Jags jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before settling for a 16-8 cushion at the end of one. Tam began to find the range in the second period, knocking down a flurry of perimeter shots in closing the deficit to 27-25 at the half.
The visitors took their first lead of the ballgame in the third quarter as both teams struggled against outstanding defensive pressure. The Hawks pulled ahead 36-30 midway through the period before Windsor slowed their momentum to trail 39-36 at the end of three.
The Jaguars trailed by eight points with three minutes left but a three point bomb from Riley Smith and some great defensive work from Travis Carlozzi and Justin Smith drew Windsor to within two at 52-50 with 10 seconds left. The Jags had two possessions tie the score but couldn’t get two shots to drop as Tam escaped with a two-point win.
The first-round NCS knockout was a bitter pill to swallow for a Windsor team that accomplished so much, including a second league championship in the last three seasons, including an NBL tournament title.
“We had a great season and the boys have a lot to be proud of,” Jags coach Travis Taylor said later.
Justin Smith led the team with 20 points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot. Other top scorers included Riley Smith (17 points, 9 rebounds), Carlozzi (9 points, 9 boards, block) and Uli Vielma (4 points, 5 rebounds).
All league honors
Senior Riley Smith capped a sensational, three-year varsity career by being named the North Bay League Most Valuable Player. Smith finished up as the second leading scorer in WHS boys basketball history with 1,182 career points and 529 rebounds. During his tenure, the Jags posted a record of 38-4 in league and 68-18 overall.
Also garnering all-NBL honors were first-team selections Justin Smith and Travis Carlozzi, while Jordan Merical was named to the Honorable Mention squad.
Head coach Travis Taylor, who recorded his 100th career win at Windsor this season, was voted the NBL Coach of the Year.
