There were no signs of rust for the Lady Greyhounds in the Jan. 18 varsity basketball tilt with visiting St. Vincent, as the ladies returned to North Bay League action after a long layoff.
Healdsburg rode the hot hands of veterans Itzel Ortiz, Hailey Webb and Maddie Wagner in blitzing the Mustangs in an 18-2 first quarter run. The carnage continued in the second quarter, with the Hounds’ employing a stifling defensive effort to open up an insurmountable, 38-7 cushion at the break. The Greyhounds emptied their bench with no drop-off after intermission on their way to a 50-16 rout.
“I challenged the girls to maintain their intensity and to overwhelm their opponents defensively and we did just that,” Healdsburg coach Steve Zichichi said. “This was a total team effort as many players got in on the act and our freshmen are maturing before our eyes.”
Ortiz finished with a game-high 15 points while other big contributors were freshman Ashley Behrens (8 points, 12 rebounds), Ruby Leffew (8 points, 6 boards), Webb (4 points, 14 assists), and Wagner (9 points). Allie Espinoza, Maddie Munselle and Emily Dunkel each chipped in two points for Healdsburg.
Scheduling notes
The Lady Hounds will host league power Maria Carrillo on Jan. 25 (after press time) in a battle of NBL supremacy. Healdsburg will visit Elsie Allen on Thursday, Jan. 27.
“We are playing better than we have all year and are peaking at the right time with a huge showdown coming up against Maria Carrillo,” Zichichi said on the eve of the game.
