With back-to-back league pennants under their belts, the Healdsburg women’s basketball team has reason to feel confident. This is a team that knows how to win (and last year, they never figured out how to lose). Sure they lost their top points generator, Hailey Webb, but most of the rest of last year’s starters took the floor on Saturday afternoon in Petaluma: Hannah Sellards, Ruby Leffew, Allie Espinosa and Ashley Behrens, backed up this day by Amelia Wickersham, Claire Berry and Meher Dhiman.
While at the end of the game the Hounds won handily, it was by no means a cakewalk. Petaluma’s Trojans did a good job of wrapping up the Greyhounds, stealing the ball and stymying Greyhound points—and sometimes scoring for the Trojans. The game got close a couple times, but in the end Healdsburg came out on top, 46-36.
Healdsburg led at the half by a narrow 20-17, but a 17-point third period gave them a comfortable 37-27 lead entering the fourth quarter, and they held on for the win. Allie Espinoza led all scoring with 14 points while Ruby Leffew got 12 points, including three free throws and two threes, the only points for Healdsburg from beyond the arc.
Meantime Petaluma sank six three-pointers, half of them from sophomore Colette Dole—she’s one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Coach Greg Marguglio gave an honest assessment after the game. “It was a little ugly for our standard, but we’re happy to pull it off and hopefully have a little cleaner pre-season,” he said. “The competition was tough. I really admired the Trojans’ aggression, how they went after the ball, and I wish them the best this season.”
He can say that, because Petaluma is in the Vine Valley league, and Healdsburg’s rivals in the Redwood league don’t show up on the schedule until Jan. 7, 2025.
Healdsburg’s interest in a three-peat is due to the Greyhound girls winning their league in 2023 with an 11-1 record and a loss in the first round of the NCS playoffs. Last year, 2023-24, their record was 12-0, and they made it to the second round.
Saturday’s game was supposed to be the third of the year for Healdsburg, but the rain was certainly a factor as Tamalpais stayed home on Tuesday, and Branson cancelled just before Thursday’s game. “So this is supposed to be our third game, but really it’s our first of the season. We’ve been chomping at the bit to get out,” Marguglio said.
A little more game time to develop the flow and a few more three-pointers sinking, and that three-peat might be a possibility.
There are no games coming up for the Lady Greyhounds until Dec. 3, against Windsor at their court. Following that is the three-day Piner Tournament, Dec. 5-7, and a week later the Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tourney, a.k.a. REIBT, in Healdsburg.
