By Caleb Knudsen
The saga of Healdsburg’s basketball seasons, boys and girls, continues to be played out, though hopes for a repeat league championship for the girls have been damaged by the dominance of Ukiah, a new addition to the NBL-Redwood division, which remains undefeated in league play.
Little wonder: With their student enrollment of 1,778, the Wildcats can draw upon a huge advantage in sourcing athletic talent. About 640 students go to HHS, possibly the smallest school in the division—but for the past few yeast the Healdsburg girls basketball program has been a contender. It was first in the league for three years, second for two years before that.
Coach Greg Marguglio worried early on in the season about the addition of Ukiah to the league, although Windsor was moved out to the Oak division where Ukiah had been. “It’s a much improved team,” Marguglio said of Ukiah as far back as December.
So it would seem: Ukiah clinched the NBL-Redwood championship last weekend when they reached 8-0 in league play, with only second wins over Piner and Santa Rosa standing in their way to an undefeated season.
However this year it’s not only Ukiah but St. Vincent de Paul that has made life difficult for the Lady Greyhounds. The Mustangs worked hard for their 42-37 victory over Healdsburg on Jan. 21, which handed the local girls their first home loss this year. A 64-20 “comfort win” over Elsie Allen gave the Hounds some confidence back, but the second game with Ukiah, played last Wednesday in Smith Robinson Gym, was a heartbreaker.
The Wildcats had defeated Healdsburg in Ukiah but only by 46-42, and the Greyhound girls thought they had a chance of taking a win at home. For much of the game it certainly seemed like a possibility. Healdsburg leapt out to a surprising 14-6 first-quarter lead, raising the sound level in the gym considerably, but Ukiah got back on track to make it a 16-16 tie at the half.
As the third quarter went on, the Wildcats took advantage of their momentum and scored 17 more points to just 10 by the hosting Hounds: but that fourth quarter proved a doozy. Healdsburg held Ukiah to 10 hard-earned points while scoring 15 points of their own to get within a single basket.
As the home crowd leapt to its feet, Ruby Leffew’s shot as the game ended arced toward the basket, ducked in but then out again for a miss. Final score, 43-41.
“Heartbreaking,” Margulio said.
Ashley Behrens was Healdsburg’s top scorer with 14, Leffew ended with 8, but two Ukiah girls made the difference, sophomore Lainee Delapo with 16 points and Samantha Wood with 14.
Coach Marguglio called it “another back and forth battle with Ukiah. It was a gritty effort to claw back by the Hounds, but they just couldn’t close it out.” As well as Leffew’s final shot, he cited a four-point swing at the free-throw line to go behind in the last minute.
The Greyhounds got their revenge in spirit on Friday night with a 56-21 blowout of Piner, and Wednesday night’s home game against Santa Rosa (4-3 in the league) should favor Healdsburg (5-3), but it really could go either way.
Allie Espinoza continues to lead the team in scoring, but no one player can make up for the impact that now-graduated Hailey Webb brought to the team, which led to two consecutive league titles. Returning players Leffew, Hannah Sellards, Claire Berry and Ashley Behrens keep the games close, and always competitive.
Other players are making their presence known too, like junior Meher Dhiman who hit for two 3-pointers in the Piner game Jan. 14, for 12 points overall, and Ashley Jenkins who is waiting for her chance.
Following Wednesday’s home game against Santa Rosa, the 2025 season draws to a close on Friday in Petaluma with the final game, against St. Vincent de Paul. It’s been a gritty effort all season long, and this team goes down as one of the grittiest.
