Analy top seed in SCL tournament
The Flying Tigers are the champions of the Sonoma County League, claiming dominant wins over El Molino and Elsie Allen to secure their sixth league title in the past eight seasons.
Analy finished up league play with a first-place record of 10-2, one game up on Piner (9-3) and Petaluma (9-3) and four up on fourth-place Healdsburg (6-6). Rounding out the SCL standings were Sonoma Valley (4-8), Elsie Allen (3-9) and El Molino (1-11).
The Tigers (19-7 overall) will quickly turn the page to the postseason, which begins this week with the SCL playoff tournament. The top-seeded Tigers will host number four Healdsburg on Thursday, Feb. 18 (8 p.m.) while Piner takes on Petaluma. The winners will meet for the tournament championship this Saturday, Feb. 20, at Santa Rosa Junior College. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
Also on the horizon is a high seed in the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs, which start next week.
“We’re currently ranked sixth or seventh in Division-3,” Analy coach Brett Page said. “We’ve played some good basketball and when we’re doing our thing we’re capable of playing with the top teams in our division. We’ve accomplished most of our goals and now get the opportunity to chase some more for a couple of weeks,” he added.
Tigers claim title
The race for the SCL crown came down to the wire, with Analy starting last week needing one victory to forge at least a co-championship and two wins to claim the title outright.
“This might have been the toughest title in the six of eight that we’ve won,” Page noted. “We wanted to win (the title) outright and after working so hard and waiting a whole year the guys wanted it.”
Analy opened the action on Senior Night in a Feb. 10, rematch with visiting El Molino, seizing momentum from the jump in racing to a 44-8 halftime lead. There was no let-up after the break, as the Tigers powered to a 71-22 rout.
“It was a team effort for sure and everyone played well,” Page said. “I think it tied our record for lowest points given up in a game.”
Pacing the Analy attack were Nick Fujii (18 points, 4 threes), David Codoni (13 points, 3 threes), Grant Schwall (11 points) and Aidan Vermuelen (11 points, 7 rebounds). Eric Nils-Carlson led the Lions with a team-high eight points.
The Tigers traveled to take on Elsie Allen in the league finale on Feb. 12, stunning the Lobos with a 12-0 run out of the gate before taking a 27-9 cushion into the half. The teams played on even terms after intermission as the Tigers held on for a 48-30 win.
“We didn’t play particularly well but our defense has improved that made up for our trouble in scoring,” Page noted, citing an outstanding first-half performance from Dominic Tripodi. “Another good team effort.”
Tripodi turned in a great effort, pouring in 16 of his eventual 19 points in the first half. Jordan Armstrong chipped in 12 rebounds and seven blocks for the Tigers.
