The Analy Flying Tigers maintained a strangle-hold on first place in the Sonoma County League basketball title chase last week, scoring a convincing 66-31 win over Sonoma Valley.
The win kept the Tigers all alone atop the SCL standings at 7-1, (15-6 overall), one game up in the loss column on Piner (6-2) and two up on Healdsburg (5-3). Rounding out the league standings were Petaluma (4-2), Elsie Allen (3-5), Sonoma Valley (2-6) and El Molino (0-8).
At press time the Tigers were preparing for a critical three-game stretch that could decide the title, beginning with a visit to Piner (Feb. 1, after press time), followed by a home clash against Healdsburg (Feb. 3), and ending with a trip to Petaluma on Friday, Feb. 5. Start times beginning with the frosh are 4:30/6/7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile the Lions fell to 0-8 in league and 4-18 on the year with recent losses to Petaluma (63-36) and Piner (57-35). The Lions will finish up the season on the road with games at Healdsburg (Feb. 1), Elsie Allen (Feb. 3), Sonoma Valley (Feb. 5) and Analy (Feb. 10).
“The team has really come together since the loss of Aidan Toner-Rodgers,” Analy coach Brett Page said, referring to his injured top scorer. “We’ve had several players step up and produce points, but what has been most impressive is the team’s dedication to defense.”
Tigers in a romp
Analy played host to Sonoma Valley in a Jan. 29, rematch, with the Tigers pulling out a tense overtime win over the Dragons in the first meeting last month.
This one bore no resemblance to the first game, as the Tigers raced to a 27-12 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 66-31 victory.
“We had a week to focus on Sonoma and were happy to be at home,” Page noted. “We started slow on offense but our defense has been improving each week and was very good. We were able to pressure them and contest their shots much better than the first game.”
Senior guard Nick Fujii paced the attack with 18 points, including five shots from beyond the three-point arc. Also in the scoring column were Anthony Narvaez (8 points, 2 assists, steal), Jordan Armstrong (7 points, 10 boards, block), Dom Tripodi (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, block), Travis Holmes (6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), David Codoni (6 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, steal), Zach Binsfeld (4 points, 2 rebounds), Spencer Vogel (3 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks), Jack Newman (3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, steal), Grant Schwall (2 points, 2 boards) and Aidan Vermuelen (2 points, 2 rebounds).
El Mo drops a pair
The Lions were in search of their first league win when they took the court on Jan. 27 against visiting Petaluma. The Trojans wasted no time, swamping the Lions with a 28-7 run out of the gate before grabbing a 38-21 cushion at the break. Petaluma put the hammer down after intermission in powering to a 63-36 win. Jordan Kerkvliet and Eric Nils-Carlson paced the Lions with 10 and eight points respectively.
It was more of the same in the Jan. 29, home meeting with Piner, as the Prospectors busted the game open early to lead 27-17 at the half. The Lions were held to five points in the third period as Piner cruised to a 57-35 win. Nils-Carlson led the El Mo offense with nine points.
