Lady Dragons shut down Healdsburg

Sonoma starts postseason with SCL Tourney ?opening rout, NCS next|

Following their regular season success capped by capturing the outright Sonoma County League title, the young Sonoma Valley High School varsity girls basketball team, with only three seniors on the deep roster, got the postseason off to a rousing start in the annual SCL Tournament opener on their home court.

As league champion and top seed, the Lady Dragons hosted fourth-seed Healdsburg Tuesday evening in Pfeiffer Gym and it looked like they were ready to pull away after gaining a 13-point second-quarter lead.

When the visiting Greyhound girls closed the quarter with back-to-back buckets to cut their deficit to 25-16 at the half, Sonoma quelled the uprising with another smothering, shut-down defensive effort.

While delivering a third-quarter shutout, the Lady Dragons took off on a 14-0 run that resulted in a game-breaking 39-16 advantage entering the fourth quarter, where they cruised past Healdsburg to a 51-26 victory.

With the triumph, the top-seeded Sonoma girls (22-5 record) played second-seeded Petaluma, a first-round winner over third-seeded Analy, for the SCL Tourney title Thursday night in Pfeiffer Gym – results not available at presstime – and now await to see where they’ll be seeded for the North Coast Section playoffs.

The NCS Division-3 seeding meeting takes place Sunday, Feb. 22, with the tournament beginning next week SCL-champion Sonoma is expected to get respect and consideration for a possible top-four sectional seeding.

Comprising the SCL champion Sonoma varsity girls – directed by head coach Sil Coccia and assistant coaches Dino Minatta and Sheila Brady – are seniors Shelby Camilleri, Alexa Hall and Sierra Lilly; juniors Bella Bowman, Rocky Darnell, Jenny Eggers, Annie Greenslade, Heidi Landeros, Renee O’Donnell, Emma Stanfield and Sami Von Gober; and sophomores Grace Cutting, Kayla Field, and Alanna Johnston and Katie Stovall, who were added to the postseason roster from the strong junior varsity team.

Leading the Lady Dragons past Healdsburg were Eggers’ 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals; Cutting’s eight points, two steals and one block; Field’s seven points, three assists and two steals; O’Donnell’s six points, four rebounds and two assists and one block; Lilly’s six points and two steals; Von Gober’s four points, five rebounds and two steals; Hall’s three points, three rebounds and two assists; Bowman’s two points, four assists, two steals and one block; Camilleri’s two points and one block; and Stanfield’s three rebounds.

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