Windsor improves to 6-3 with strong showing
The Jaguars turned in an outstanding weekend of varsity hoops at the annual Brett Callan Memorial Tournament hosted by Casa Grande, claiming two wins in three outings to capture the third place trophy.
The Jags opened the Callan tourney on Dec. 14 with a 73-38 rout over Napa before dropping a hard-fought 59-54 loss to Tamalpais in Friday’s semifinal. The Jags bounced back on Saturday with a 57-39 win over Casa Grande.
Windsor began the week with a well-played 55-34 victory over visiting San Marin. The result pushed Windsor’s overall record to 6-3.
The Jaguars will square off with visiting Casa Grande in the North Bay League opener this Friday, Dec. 22 in a 7:30 p.m. varsity tip-off, followed by the annual Windsor Holiday Shootout on Dec. 28-30.
Windsor used a combination of balanced scoring and great defense in the Dec. 12 meeting with San Marin, swamping the Mustangs with a first half scoring barrage that put the Jags up 33-13 at the break. There was no let-up after intermission as Windsor took a 48-21 cushion into the fourth quarter on the way to a 55-34 rout.
Jordan Merical and Riley Smith shared scoring honors with 13 points. Other top scorers included Justin Smith (11) and Travis Carlozzi (10).
The Jags continued their torrid shooting in the Callan Tournament opener on Dec. 14 against Napa, racing to an 18-12 lead at the end of one. Led by 20-point efforts by brothers Riley and Justin Smith, the Jags opened up a 32-21 cushion at the half on their way to a 73-38 rout. Also in the scoring column were Merical (10) and Carlozzi (9 points, 11 rebounds).
Windsor got out to a slow start in Friday’s semifinal tilt with Tamalpais, spotting the Hawks a 17-10 first quarter lead. Tam led 32-26 at the half. The battle was on after intermission, as the teams traded buckets in a wide-open second half. Windsor knotted the contest at 54-all with under a minute to play, but the Hawks pulled it out in their final two possessions to notch a 59-54 win.
“We fell behind early and lacked defensive focus and effort,” Jags coach Travis Taylor said. “The boys played a great second half.”
Riley Smith paced the offense with 26 points, while Justin Smith (16), Carlozzi (11) and Jack Amormino (1) rounded out the Windsor scoring.
The Jaguars faced host Casa Grande in Saturday’s clash for third place, as Windsor used a 19-5 second quarter surge to grab a 30-15 halftime advantage. The Jags expanded the lead to 25 after three quarters on their way to a 57-39 win. Justin Smith (18 points) and Riley Smith (17 points) led the team to earn all-tourney honors, while Merical poured in 10 points for the Jaguars.
