Analy and El Molino girls basketball teams are preparing for the all important postseason, looking to add momentum as they close out the regular season this week.
At the time of this writing, El Molino (5-3, 14-7) was in third place and a lock for the upcoming North Bay League Redwood Division playoff tournament, with final regular season road dates left at Healdsburg (Feb. 4, after press time) and Rancho Cotate (Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.).Â
Meanwhile, Analy (4-4, 16-7) was all alone in third place in the NBL Oak Division race, with games at Montgomery (Feb. 4) and Santa Rosa (Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.).Â
The NBL playoffs will start next week (date and locations TBD) and include the top four finishing teams in each division. Â
Each team is a good bet to land a spot in the North Coast Section playoffs, which start in two weeks.
Tigers take two
Analy is coming off a good stretch on the NBL hard-court starting with a 53-41 win over Ukiah on Jan. 28. The Tigers were in control from the start, gaining separation with a 21-8 second quarter run for a 16-point halftime lead. The Wildcats staged a mild rally after intermission, but the Tigers cruised to a 12-point margin of victory.
The Tigers traveled to Windsor two nights later, with the teams locking horns in a hard-fought battle that would go down to the wire. Leading 31-22 at the half, the Tigers were swamped with an 18-7 Windsor surge in the third quarter for a brief, 40-38 Jag’s lead. Windsor held a 49-45 edge in the final period, but the Tigers would go to the free throw line 13 times in the fourth quarter to propel them to a 51-49 victory. Leading scorers included Lucca Lowenberg (20 points), Maycee Hunter (9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals), Bailey Alberigi (6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks), Samantha Davis (5 points, 4 rebounds) and Chloe Fernandez (3 points, 3 boards).Â
Lions gain split
The El Molino girls continued a resurgent campaign with an even split, beginning with a 65-45 loss to visiting Maria Carrillo on Jan. 28. The game started well for the Lions, who took a 34-31 halftime lead, but the Pumas closed out the final two periods on a 34-11 run en route to a 65-45 win. Top point-getters for El Mo were Ellie Roan (19 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals), Hailee Walker (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals), Angelina Gonnella (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), Alex Foszcz (5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) and Talia Husary (5 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals).
The Lions made short work of the Prospectors in a Jan. 30 visit to Piner, using a 23-5 second-quarter run to open up a 22-point halftime cushion. El Molino maintained the lead throughout the second half on their way to a 59-38 victory.
Pacing the offense were Roan (19 points, 15 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals), Walker (9 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals), Claire Casey (8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), Skyler Westover (7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals) and Gonnella (6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals).
