League hoops opener sets tone for exciting season ahead
Anticipation and excitement turned to heartbreak for the Lady Jaguars in the North Bay League basketball opener at Casa Grande on Jan. 3, as the Gauchos held off a determined visiting Windsor squad to escape with a 60-59 victory.
The result pushed the Jag’s season record to 5-7 and 0-1 in the NBL, while Casa Grande improved to 8-3 overall and 1-0 in league.
Windsor will start a two-game home-stand Thursday, Jan. 5 against Santa Rosa, followed by a Tuesday, Jan. 10 date with Rancho Cotate. Game times starting with the JV are 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Great outing falls short
Tuesday’s league-opening tilt at Casa Grande was an uphill battle for the Jaguars, plagued by costly turnovers that fueled the Gauchos’ 14-13 lead after one.
The Jaguars began to exploit an inside size advantage in the second period, with post-players Gabby Giddings and Mattie Murphy doing the bulk of their damage in the paint. Guards Hannah May and Sabrina Simili nailed a couple of three-point bombs as Windsor went to the halftime locker room trailing 33-29.
Fueled by a swarming defense, the Jaguars seized momentum midway into the third quarter to take a 45-43 lead. Windsor led by as much as five with four minutes left in the fourth, and the game hung in the balance knotted at 55-apiece with 1:30 to play. May was fouled on a successful three-pointer and converted the ensuing free throw for a 59-58 advantage.
But with both teams in a bonus situation, the Gauchos would make good on their last two free-throw attempts – the last coming with nine seconds left – to claim a 60-59 win.
May turned in a standout effort with a team-high 18 points, including five three-pointers, while Murphy (15 points) and Giddings (14 points) were a force inside. Also in the scoring column were Simili, Cecillia Smith and Tori Russotti, all adding an outstanding defensive effort for the Jags.
