The Lady Greyhounds will represent the No. 11 seed in the North Coast Section Division 4 tournament, opening up at No. 6 Terra Linda on Wednesday, Feb. 16 (after press time) at 7 p.m.
The Hounds (17-8 overall) earned the playoff spot by virtue of an outstanding 7-3 season in league, entering the postseason well prepared for the obstacles that lie ahead.
Healdsburg wrapped up the NBL Redwood Division schedule with one win in two outings, beginning with a visit to Santa Rosa on Feb. 8. The teams played on nearly even terms throughout the first half, but the Hounds gained separation with an 11-2 third-quarter run on their way to a 45-28 rout. It was the Hounds’ fourth straight league win.
Junior Itzel Ortiz paced the offense with 15 points, while junior Hailey Webb had 10 points and 12 assists. Other top scorers were the freshman trio of Allie Espinoza (7 points), Ashley Behrens (5 points) and Ruby Leffew (4 points). Junior Maddie Wagner also chipped in four points for Healdsburg.
“The freshmen are improving right before our eyes and none of them play like freshmen anymore,” HHS coach Steve Zichichi said. “Their defense is outstanding and Behrens is our leading rebounder.”
The Greyhounds traveled to Piner for the league finale, but had no answer for the Prospector’s leading scorer, Sarah Tait. The talented senior poured in 33 of her team’s 45 points in an eventual, 45-40 Piner victory.
“We threw everything at her, but she was really hot and could not be stopped,” Zichichi noted. “We were uncharacteristically out of control on offense and played to Piner’s up tempo pace.”
Ortiz and Webb led the way with 13 and 12 points respectively. Also in the scoring column were Behrens (6 points, 14 rebounds), Wagner (2 points) and Leffew (2 points).
