Lady Hounds take second in 72nd REIBT

The Lady Greyhounds held a hoops party with everyone invited last weekend at the 72nd annual Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament, claiming two wins in three outings to earn a second place trophy.
The annual rite of the winter basketball season featured a strong girl’s field that also included, Kelseyville, McKinleyville, Clear Lake, Ukiah, Arcata, Justin Siena and Fortuna.    
Healdsburg opened the tournament in the marquee game on Dec. 9 against a game Clear Lake squad, breaking open a tight contest with a strong second half to post a 44-33 win.
The Hounds rode the wins of Itzel Ortiz early on, as the veteran captain tallied eight points to give Healdsburg a 10-6 lead after one. Healdsburg went to the halftime locker room up 19-18, with Ortiz accounting for 16 points by intermission. 
Point guard Hailey Webb took over in the second half, scoring all of her eventual 16 points in the third and fourth quarters to lead her team to an eventual 11-point victory. 
Other top scorers for Healdsburg were Emily Dunkel (3 points), Katy Conrad (2 points) and Ashley Behrens (2 points, 12 rebounds). 
Healdsburg squared off with McKinleyville in Friday’s semifinal, taking an early 11-7 lead behind the hot shots of Maddie Wagner before heading to the break up 21-13.  
The Panthers mounted a steady comeback in the second half, taking a brief, 36-33 lead with two minutes left in the game. But the Hounds would not be denied, icing the game at the foul line in the final minute to emerge with a 43-36 win. Ortiz led the way with 18 points, while Wagner (10 points), Allie Espinoza (6 points) and Dunkel (5) made big contributions in the victory.
The ladies faced a veteran Justin Siena team in Saturday’s title game, surviving a frigid first half to trail, 29-7 at the break. Healdsburg, behind a 21-point outburst by Ortiz, came roaring back to make a game of it after intermission, cutting the deficit to eight points. But the Braves fought off every challenge thrown at them, hanging on for a 41-29 win. Also in the scoring column for Healdsburg were Webb (3 points), Wagner (2 points) and Conrad (2 points).   
Ortiz and Webb were each named to the all-tournament team.  
Healdsburg (9-4) will resume pre-league action on Friday, Dec. 17 at Marin Academy (2:30 p.m.), followed by a Tuesday, Dec. 21 visit to Kelseyville (2 p.m.).