The 76th annual Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament produced not only good high school basketball, but singing, dancing, chanting and some good-old-fashioned foolishness at the Smith Robinson Gym—especially on Friday, Dec. 12. That’s when the Greyhounds students gathered in the gym for an REIBT Rally, to boost enthusiasm for the tournament to another level.
Each of the school’s four classes presented brief dance skits to show off the athleticism, coordination and humor of HHS students. Three teachers (Thomas Warf, Mark Domenichelli and Andrea Ruiz) judged their performances, and the seniors “won on points.” A shower of blue confetti streamers marked the victory.
In the tournament itself, both Healdsburg boys and girls teams followed a similar path—winning their first games and losing the next two. The boys began the weekend with a 64-55 victory over Kelseyville, sparked by double-digit scoring from four players: Ethan Overdorf (18 points), Teague Jasper (17), Vincenzo Loupy and Henry Smith (11 each).
They had less luck on Friday against Middletown, the eventual tournament second-place team. This time two different players scored into double-digits—senior Conrad Cooper had 15 points and Beckett Little 13 in the losing effort, 78-39.
Saturday saw Healdsburg fall to Ukiah, 77-41, though individual stats are not available. Both Middletown and Ukiah reappear in 2026, with a Middletown rematch at Smith Robinson on Jan. 2. Ukiah is a member of the same league as the Greyhounds, North Bay – Redwood, and the two teams will meet twice in January.
The girls also kicked off their REIBT schedule with a win on Thursday, Dec. 11, by defeating Middletown 49-39. But McKinleyville got the best of the Greyhounds on Friday, 38-38, and Saturday’s game saw Fortuna easily stop the Hounds, 67-21.
Both teams have a handful of games over the next couple weeks and into New Year before the Redwood league play begins Jan. 6, 2026.
First-place tournament winners were Marin Academy, boys, and Justin-Siena, girls. Healdsburg finished fourth in both boys and girls results. Named to the All-Tournament teams were Amelia Wickersham in the girls bracket and Teague Jasper on the boys side.
