Windsor wins one of three; next up is West Coast Jamboree
The Lady Jaguars played host to seven participating basketball teams in the first annual Rumble in the Jungle Jamboree tournament on Dec. 8-10, capturing one of three games played to settle for fourth place.
Windsor (3-5) opened the tournament with an impressive 57-50 win over Sonoma Valley, but dropped subsequent games to Eureka (59-58) and Analy (58-38) in what amounted to a character-building weekend for the Jags.
The ladies will take an extended holiday break from competition before resuming play at the West Coast Jamboree in the East Bay on Dec. 27-29.
Windsor took on a solid Sonoma Valley squad in Thursday’s tourney opener, riding the hot hand of sophomore guard Tori Russotti while exploiting the inside presence of junior center Gabby Giddings for a 15-12 lead at the end of one. The Dragons surged ahead by five in the second period to grab a 28-27 edge at the half. The teams traded buckets in a tight second half before the Jags pulled away down the stretch to post a 57-50 win.
“The key to this victory was Giddings and the Dragon’s inability to deal with her size,” Windsor coach Jeff Paul said. “The game was close until midway through the fourth quarter until Giddings and Russotti put on the finishing touches for the win.”
Giddings led the Jaguars with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Russotti chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds. Also in the scoring column were Sabrina Simili (9 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals), Hannah May (5 points, 2 boards, 5 assists), Allison Post (2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists) and Caitlyn Murphy (2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist).
Friday’s clash with Eureka was as wild as they come, as the Loggers raced to a 15-2 lead early in the first quarter. Windsor went to a man defense to cut the deficit to two points later in the period, but Eureka took a 36-31 cushion into the break. Trailing by five after three, Windsor mounted a late rally, using a May three-pointer to make it a one-point game with three seconds left. The Loggers would run out the clock and escape with a 59-58 win.
Giddings turned in another sensation effort with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Other leading scorers were Russotti (8 points, 2 assists, 2 steals), Simili (8 points, 4 assists, 7 steals), Post (7 points, 2 rebounds) and May (7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist).
Windsor squared off with Analy in a battle for third place in Saturday’s get-away game, with the Tigers exploiting the Jags’ slow start to open up a 29-14 cushion at the half. The teams played on even terms for most of the last two quarters as the Tigers went on to notch an eventual 58-38 win.
Russotti paced the attack with 9 points, while other big contributors were Giddings (9) Simili (8), May (7) and Post (7).
Giddings’ outstanding overall performance earned her All-Tournament honors. Montgomery beat Eureka 47-30 in the championship game to capture the tourney title.
