Lady Jags will host Windsor Invitational Tournament on Dec. 7-9
It was a baptism by fire for the Lady Jaguars at the tough Lady Cat Classic Basketball Tournament hosted by Marin Catholic last weekend, as Windsor managed one win in three outings.
The tournament included many of the top high school programs in the Bay Area, a great litmus test for a Jags’ team with high expectations.
“We’re still trying to come together as a team,” head coach Joe Passalacqua said. “We’ve had many players miss practice time due to illness and it’s affected our performance. We’re a work in progress and hope to have more of our offense clicking by the start of league.”
Windsor opened the tourney on Nov. 30 against St. Ignatius, falling to the Wildcats 64-32. The Jags were behind the eight ball from the opening tip, spotting their opponent a 14-2 lead after one and trailed 29-14 at the half. Things didn’t get any closer after intermission as the Wildcats cruised to a 32-point margin of victory.
Senior forward Mattie Murphy paced the offense with 11 points and six rebounds. Also turning in good efforts were Jackie Vieyra (6 points, 2 rebounds), Sabrina Simili (5 points, 1 rebound), Gabby Giddings (4 points, 5 rebounds), Cecellia Smith (4 points, 3 rebounds) and Pauline Woodard (2 points).
The ladies got out quickly in Friday’s game two against Moreau Catholic, jumping on the Mariners to lead 12-4 after one. The Jags held a 22-21 edge at the half. Windsor cranked up their offense after intermission, outscoring their opponent 34-28 in the final two quarters en route to a 56-49 win.
Giddings led all scorers with 16 points and 9 boards, while other top scorers included Smith (15 points, 8 rebounds), Simili (6 points, 4 assists, 6 steals), Hannah May (5 points, 6 boards, 4 assists), Tori Russotti (4 points, 2 assists, steal), Woodard (4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), Vieyra (4 points, 3 rebounds, assist) and Caitlyn Murphy (2 points, 1 rebound).
The win set up a tourney finale against host Marin Catholic on Saturday, a game that started well but got away quickly. The Jaguars were down 24-13 at the half but were swamped, 15-3 in the third quarter, as the Wildcats powered to an eventual 49-24 win.
Giddings led the attack with 14 points and six rebounds. Also in the scoring column were Smith (6 points, 2 boards, 3 assists), Russotti (2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) and Woodard (2 points, 3 rebounds).
Windsor tourney on tap
The Lady Jags will host the Windsor Invitational Tournament on Dec. 7-9. Participating teams will include Windsor, St. Bernard’s, Eureka, Vanden, Analy, Montgomery, Rincon Valley Christian and Napa.
