By Caleb Knudsen
Not everyone is glued to the NFL playoffs this year, for obvious reasons. The NBA has its disappointments, too, and that college football season was even longer than usual. What’s a sports fan to do?
In Healdsburg, the answer is obvious: Watch the Greyhounds play. Take in the excitement and action at a basketball game (start time is usually 7:30pm), or huddle under a blanket to watch the soccer match unfold outdoors (start time 7pm).
Boys Break the Spell
The boys varsity broke a three-game losing streak last Friday, Jan. 17, with a satisfying 58-45 win against Elsie Allen. The last-place Cougars did heat up later in the competition, outscoring the Greyhounds in the third quarter and matching them in the fourth. But Healdsburg essentially had the game put away by the half, as their 32-18 lead showed.
The win came after it seemed the Greyhounds couldn’t keep their feet under themselves in their first three Redwood league matches, losing successively to Ukiah, St. Vincent and Rancho Cotate. But the strongest players have emerged, to no one’s surprise Thatcher Little and Ethan Overdorf with most points scored, and freshman Jasper Teague and junior Cooper Conrad making a showing as well.
The only Redwood team Healdsburg hasn’t yet faced is Piner, and that game is Wednesday night (too late for press time). Piner is on a roll, however, having won their last three and sharing a 3-1 league record with the Greyhounds. Check healdsburgtribune.com for the latest story.
Girls Stay On Course
After a tough loss against Ukiah to begin league play, the Lady Greyhounds have beat down the other NBL-Redwood teams in order: Elsie Allen, Santa Rosa, Piner and even Sonoma Valley—not a league rival this year, but a perennial regional nemesis.
The Lady Dragons have had “ownage” over the Healdsburg girls, winning nine times out of 10 in the last decade. The Sonoma Valley girls program is usually strong and often produces a league champion, and the outlook of the Jan. 18 game was not entirely positive for Healdsburg.
Judging only by the first quarter scores, the Dragons had the Hounds muzzled to a 11-3 score, but something must have clicked in the Greyhounds mindset: They dominated from that point forward, taking a 9-point lead into the last frame. Final score was 38-30.
Healdsburg’s high scorers were Ashley Behrens with 13, followed by both Ruby Leffew and Allie Espinoza with 10 each. Top scorer overall was junior Alice Turner for SVHS, with 16.
“Happy to finish with a win today,” said coach Greg Marguglio following the game. “Not exactly the performance we were looking for, so feeling fortunate after stumbling through a couple of dismal quarters. Hats off to Sonoma for making it a battle.”
The Redwood race began again on Tuesday against St. Vincent de Paul, at that point 2-2 in the league. The Greyhounds were tied in second with 3-1, and Ukiah at 4-0 was on top. St. Vincent’s roster has several league leaders in Hailey Sarlatte and Claire Ellis, and they challenged the Greyhound girls on their home court.
Indeed, the ball bounced St. Vincent’s way all night, and the Greyhounds were handed their second league loss on Tuesday, falling to the Mustangs 42-37. Individual stats were not available as of press time.
The next big game upcoming for the Greyhounds is at home against Ukiah, on Wednesday, Jan. 29. This will be a rematch of the tight 46-42 game in Mendocino County that spells the difference between the teams in the standings this year. Expect some aggressive basketball from the Greyhound girls that night—and the same from Ukiah’s Wildcats.
Recommended: Wednesday, Jan. 29 vs. Ukiah. Tip-off 7:30pm, Smith Robinson Gym.
