Dissa and Data: Montgomery JV girls basketball coach Darryl LaBlue wins 500th game

Darryl LaBlue, Montgomery’s junior varsity girls basketball coach, picked up his 500th coaching victory Saturday and it came in dramatic fashion.

Against Redwood, in the finals of the Petaluma JV Tournament, sophomore Ella Enery sank an 8-foot runner at the buzzer that enabled the Vikings to defeat Redwood, 45-44.

LaBlue took the job 26 years ago. That was the same season Steve Bell accepted the head varsity position.

“Darryl has been a big part of the program from the beginning,” Bell said. “I’m very fortunate to have been able to work with him all these years.”

LaBlue still looks forward to every season with enthusiasm.

“At the start, I tell the kids it’s like a puzzle,” he said. “We’ll put it together and see where it lands. The satisfaction for me is seeing how the players progress.”

Drawing on local talent

A handful of local products are pitching in early for the 7-4 Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs men’s basketball team.

Sophomore Arnold Silva from Healdsburg and freshman Kiel Long, who prepped at Montgomery, are averaging 7.5 points per game with Long shooting 38 percent from behind the arc.

Freshmen Michael Septimo (Montgomery) and Sadik Sufi (Windsor) are contributing one point per game this preseason.

The Bear Cubs open the annual Kris Kringle Invitational tournament Thursday night at 8 p.m. in Haehl Pavilion against Los Medanos Community College.

San Luis Obispo showdown

This could be the year Windsor will win its first NBL boys basketball title. The Jaguars are 4-0 heading into the start of this weekend’s Mission Prep Christmas Classic in San Luis Obispo.

“If we have the desire and hunger, we have the talent,” coach Travis Taylor said. “It’s going to depend on how much the guys want it.”

Windsor will find out where it stands in San Luis Obispo. In Saturday’s first round, the Jaguars will face host Mission Prep. The 16-team tournament continues through next Wednesday.

In past years, 22 NBA players have played in this tournament. Among the stars are: James Harden, Josh Childress, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Jeremy Lin and Brook and Robin Lopez.

Windsor’s top players early in the season have been: Gabe Knight, Brent Tucker, Curtis Johnson and Parker Canady.

Press Democrat Staff Writer Kerry Benefield, and PD correspondent Howard Senzell contributed to this report.