High School basketball
The varsity basketball Jaguars enjoyed a solid start to the North Bay League Oak Division season this week, claiming one win in two outings.
Windsor opened the stretch with a 74-64 home victory over Santa Rosa on Jan. 7, but dropped a 50-48 heartbreaker at Montgomery two nights later.
The split, followed by a 63-53 non-league setback to visiting Alameda on Saturday, pushed the Jag’s league record to 1-1 and 7-10 on the year.
This week, Windsor will resume NBL action at home on Jan. 14 (after press time) against Analy and visit Cardinal Newman on Thursday, Jan. 16 (varsity 7:30 p.m.). The Jags will travel to Las Lomas in Walnut Creek on Saturday, Jan. 18 in a 3 p.m. tip-off.
Jags gain split
Windsor opened the NBL campaign in winning fashion in the Jan. 7 home clash with Santa Rosa, shaking off a disastrous, 22-9 first-quarter deficit to trail by just 31-24 at the break. Led by senior center Christian Jernigan, the Jaguars took over in the second half, reeling off a 24-15 third-quarter run to take the lead. Windsor closed it out in an impressive finish with a strong fourth quarter en route to a 74-64 win.
“We came out a little flat in this one, and we were not executing our game plan early,” Jag’s coach Jared Greninger said. “After a tough first quarter the boys made the necessary defensive adjustments and that led to good offensive opportunities for us.”
Jernigan led all scorers with 22 points. Other top point producers included Tyler McBratney (16), Billy Boyle (15), Dante Mendoza (11) and Jaden Ruybalid (10).
Fans in attendance got their money’s worth in the Jan. 9 visit to Montgomery, as the teams battled tooth and nail for four well-played quarters. The game came down to the wire knotted at 48-all, but the Vikings would pull it out with a 30-foot buzzer-beater to escape with a 50-48 win.
“This was a tough loss for us, but the boys played a great game, and did a great job at limiting their scoring threats,” Greninger noted. “We had too many turnovers early in the game that prevented us from taking control.”
Jernigan and McBratney shared scoring honors with 15 points apiece.
Windsor wrapped up a busy week in Saturday’s non-league tilt with visiting Alameda, with the Hornets leading the entire way in an eventual, 63-53 victory.
Boyle led the way with 15 points, while Jernigan chipped in 14 for the Jags.
“They (Alameda) shot the ball very well in this game, but we also let them have too many open shots,” Greninger said. “We had a late push to bring it within five points in the fourth, but they hit a couple of threes to put us away. I’m proud of the boys for staying with it despite being down the whole game.”
