Heading into the holiday break, the Healdsburg boys basketball team continued to play hard but come up short. Last Saturday afternoon, the Greyhound boys met Maria Carrillo in a year-ending game at Smith Robinson Gym with the season’s first league game still over two weeks away.
The visiting Pumas went into the game with a 7-4 record and as such were favored, but the Hounds kept the game competitive throughout and close in the first and last quarters.
The score was tied 11-11 at the end of the first, but over the next two quarters constant defensive pressure from the Pumas stymied the Greyhounds’ attack. The shooting skills of James Hillestad (21 points) and Nathan Dipman (20 points) and their teammates racked up two straight 25-point quarters to take a commanding lead.
Healdsburg scored a symbolic victory by outscoring Maria Carrillo in the last frame, 12-11, but it didn’t make much difference in the final 75-47 score. Leading scoring for the home team was Thatcher Little with 17 points and Beckett Little with 9.
The team’s 3-9 record shows two wins against Roseland University Prep and another against neighboring Rio Lindo Academy.
This post-Christmas weekend Healdsburg takes part in the Windsor Holiday Shootout, to be followed by the North Bay Redwood game on Jan. 10 against St. Vincent.
Basketball Action at Rio Lindo Academy
Up the road, the Rio Lindo Academy boys team ends the first half of their season with a 4-4 record, highlighted by a three-game winning streak in early December against Tomales, Credo and Victory Christian.
Star starters for the Spartans include the high-scoring pair of sophomore Kafili Thompson and junior Jhordany Barcenas.
A Dec. 19 game against Montgomery was canceled and has yet to be rescheduled.
Rio Lindo’s girls team, the Lady Spartans, is enjoying a good start to their season with a 6-2 record heading into the Christmas break. Belen Hernandez continues to lead the team in scoring.
The first half ended with a convincing 45-17 win over Pacific Union College Prep in Angwin. It was their third win in a row since falling to Sonoma Academy on Dec. 5. Their only other loss this year came to Healdsburg High way back on Nov. 16.
January finds both Rio Lindo’s boys and girls teams playing their Small School Bridge league opponents, starting with Napa Christian on Jan. 11.
