Windsor exceeds expectations in outstanding 20-8 campaign
The greatest compliment a basketball team can receive is that it reached its full potential and left it all on the court.
That would not be a stretch for the Jaguars in a great 2016-17 campaign under head coach Travis Taylor and veteran assistants Steve Kramer, Gabe Jenkins and Mike Farmer, which seemed to extract every ounce that the team had to give in a season that exceeded all expectations.
Although the journey ended in a 41-32 loss to visiting Redwood in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs on Feb. 21, it did nothing to diminish the team’s accomplishments.
“Overall, we had a great season,” Taylor said, reflecting on a 20-8 campaign. “I’m very proud of the effort that the boys put into it.”
The defending North Bay League champion Jaguars began the season hoping to be competitive after losing all five of last year’s starters to graduation in June, but used a strong pre-league start to propel the team into title contention. Windsor made a serious run at the NBL crown until a pair of close losses to Montgomery and Cardinal Newman in the final stretch derailed their chances.
Jags fall to Giants
The Jaguars represented the eighth seed in the NCS Division 2 playoffs, drawing visiting number nine Redwood in the opener on Feb. 21. Windsor owned a 57-55 overtime win over the Giants in the Rose City Tournament in December, but this meeting would bear no resemblance to the first.
The rematch was a grind-it-out defensive battle, with both teams struggling offensively in the first quarter in an 8-4 Giant’s lead. Led by a 10-point half by junior center Riley Smith, the Jaguars fought off a relentless full-court press to stay within striking distance at the break.
“We trailed 15-10 at halftime, and Riley (Smith) had all 10 of our points in first half,” Taylor noted. “We didn’t shoot well from the field and just struggled to make consistent plays around the basket.”
Windsor mounted a comeback early in the third quarter to briefly cut the deficit to two, but Redwood maintained the edge in taking a 25-22 lead after three. It was as close as the Jags would get as the Giants pulled away in the final eight minutes to post an eventual 41-32 win.
Riley Smith finished up a tremendous season with a team-high 12 points, while other top scorers included twin brother Justin Smith (9 points) and teammates Travis Carlozzi (9 points) and Kobe Roman (2 points).
MVP, All-League honors
The Jaguars were well represented on the NBL All-League squad (as voted by coaches), with Riley Smith selected as Co-Most Valuable Player, sharing the honor with Damian Wallace of Cardinal Newman.
Also garnering first-team distinction was junior forward Travis Carlozzi, who was named Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Justin Smith was selected to the All-League Second Team, while senior guard Kobe Roman garnered Honorable Mention honors.
