The varsity basketball Greyhounds have extended their season for at least another week, landing the 11th seed in this week’s North Coast Section Division 4 tournament.
At press time the Hounds (11-12) were preparing to visit No. 6 seeded Del Norte in Crescent City on Wednesday, Feb. 16 in a 7 p.m. tip-off. Should Healdsburg win, they’ll play the survivor of the No. 3 University versus No. 14 Fortuna game on Feb. 19 (site TBD).
“I’m a bit disappointed in our seeding,” Hounds coach Kevin Leffew said. “I believe the 11 seed in lower than where we should be seeded, since the NBL Oak Division is one of the toughest leagues in all of Northern California.”
Healdsburg wrapped up the North Bay League regular season schedule with a pair of home games against Windsor and Santa Rosa, gaining an even split. The Hounds were out for a clean sweep in their Feb. 8 rematch in Healdsburg, but it wasn’t in the cards as Windsor busted open a tight game with a strong second half en route to a 64-49 win.
“We were able to get the ball inside early to Graham MacDonald and had a lead (in the first half), but Windsor made a second half adjustment moving to a triangle and two zone,” Leffew noted. “We just shot poorly in the second half. We got decent looks, but couldn’t hit anything.”
Healdsburg entertained Santa Rosa in Thursday’s NBL finale on senior night, honoring veterans McDonald, Sebby Leffew and Roland Sanchez in a pre-game ceremony. The Hounds played one of their best games of the league season, riding the inside dominance of McDonald (23 points, 12 rebounds) and the perimeter shooting of guard Sebby Leffew (24 points, 4 assists) in powering to a 68-58 victory. Healdsburg finished the NBL schedule with a solid 4-6 record.
“I’m so proud of our guys, how hard they played, how the bench stepped up and ultimately, our senior leaders showed up,” Leffew said. “What a fun group to coach and an honor to be a part of this team.”
