By Caleb Knudsen
Healdsburg’s shooting star, Hailey Webb, reached a personal best on Wednesday last week, leading the Lady Greyhounds to a 69-47 win over Cloverdale with an electrifying 32 points, plus 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals.
The high-scoring game also saw 14 points from Ruby Leffew and 11 from Ashley Behrens, yet coach Jim Lago was adamant that the victory was a team win. “The entire Healdsburg team performed very well in our victory over Cloverdale, who went into the game with a 10-3 record. We played very well up and down the roster, and the extraordinary defensive efforts of all would account for the victory.”
The Cloverdale game was the next-to-last non-league game of the season, with a full month of North Bay-Redwood matchups starting Friday, Jan. 5. To this point the Greyhounds sport a 2-0 league record (14-2 overall), but Santa Rosa is also 2-0 and Lago isn’t making any predictions.
“We do not underestimate anyone,” Lago said. “Rancho has a great team that we caught by surprise a couple of weeks ago, but expect them to have us in their sights. Same for Windsor and Santa Rosa.”
Healdsburg defeated Rancho Cotate, 59-40, in the first league game of the season on Dec. 19; they will meet again on Jan. 20 in Rohnert Park. Healdsburg also outscored Windsor 47-43 on Dec. 21, but the next time the two teams play it will be on Windsor’s home court on Jan. 24.
But first the Greyhounds have to get by the Wolves. “Elsie Allen has also come out of nowhere as a quality team with a winning record (13-1), so we will be preparing for them this week,” said Lago. The game is Friday, Jan. 5.
Other North Bay-Redwood teams are St. Vincent de Paul (currently 6-6 overall, 0-3 in league play) and Piner (7-9 overall, 1-2 in the league).
The next home game is against Santa Rosa, currently 9-5 overall, 2-0 in league play, in what’s sure to be another challenging game. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Smith Robinson Gym; game time 7:30pm.
Boys Basketball
The Healdsburg varsity basketball team ended a six-game losing streak with a 57-48 win over Jim Elliot Christian, a small private school in Lodi. The Greyhounds roster boasted four players scoring 10 or more points, including Ethan Overdorf with 16 and Thatcher Little with 12 points. Alex Fitzpatrick and Cooper Conrad scored 10 each.
The boys take the next couple weeks off to focus on their shooting and defensive skills. They next play on Wednesday, Jan. 10, against St. Vincent de Paul in Healdsburg.
