Great showing keeps Windsor in SCL title conversation
The Jaguars made a strong statement in their quest for a North Bay League title repeat this week, scoring one win in two outings against top contenders Montgomery and Cardinal Newman.
Windsor (5-1, 14-4) began the stretch with a hard-fought 56-51 win at Montgomery on Jan. 17, but fell just short two nights later in a 42-35 setback to visiting Cardinal Newman.
The mixed bag kept the Jags in the NBL hunt in second place at 5-1 and pushed their overall record to an impressive 14-4, while Newman stayed unbeaten in league at 6-0.
“The team has been working extremely hard each day to continue to improve,” Jags head coach Travis Taylor said. “We played two tough games this week and I think we know what we need to work on to continue to compete in a very competitive league.”
Windsor will wrap up its first trip around the NBL circuit against visiting Ukiah next Monday, Jan. 23, and host Casa Grande on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Varsity tip-off for both games is 7:30 p.m.
Jags notch win
Tuesday’s battle at Montgomery was a back and forth affair, with neither team able to gain separation until the final seconds of play. The Vikings, led by Evan Paulsen (16 points) and Riley O’Neil (14 points), clung to a 12-11 lead after one, but the Jaguars rode the hot hand of forward Justin Smith to retake the edge at 21-19 at the half.
Windsor’s Riley Smith, the other half of the “Twin Towers,” began to catch fire in the third quarter, as the Jags took a 34-33 edge into the final period. With the game hanging in the balance, the Jaguars would pull it out with a perfect 6 for 6 from the foul line in the last 30 seconds (13 of 14 overall) to emerge with a 56-51 victory.
Justin Smith paced the attack with a team-high 22 points and 4 rebounds, while Riley Smith scored all of his 16 points (7 rebounds) after intermission. Other top scorers included Kobe Roman (9 points, 4 boards, 4 assists), Travis Carlozzi (6 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Ethan Wright (2 points).
Windsor played host to Cardinal Newman in a Jan. 19 defensive battle, hoping to avenge a 48-36 loss to the Cardinals in the Rose City Tournament in December.
This game would shape up as another defensive gem, with both teams struggling to find the range against swarming opposition as Windsor led 5-0 at the end of one. The slow start set the tone for a tight battle throughout until the Cardinals wrestled away momentum and eventually the game, 42-35.
Roman topped all Jaguars with 10 points, while other scorers were Carlozzi (8 points), Riley Smith (6 points, 10 rebounds), Justin Smith (5 points), Brandon Mallie (3 points) and Wright (3 points).
