North Bay League basketball tournament finals: Windsor boys, Cardinal Newman girls triumph

Windsor's boys basketball team reeled off a dozen consecutive points in the first quarter and Cardinal Newman never recovered as the Jaguars won the NBL tournament trophy 52-38 Friday night at Piner High.

In the girls game played earlier in the evening, Cardinal Newman defeated Santa Rosa 54-40.

Both the Windsor boys and Cardinals girls went undefeated in league play before captured the postseason tourneys.

Windsor's pivotal run began with 2:45 remaining in the opening quarter and the score 2-2.

Gabe Knight started the run with a 3-point shot. That was followed by six points in a row by Brent Tucker (layup, two free throws and a 3-pointer). Chaise Noles then finished the run by making a layup following a steal.

The Jaguars maintained a double-digit lead most of the game.

'We got off to a sluggish start on offense the first five minutes, but our defensive intensity was there from tip-off to buzzer,' coach Travis Taylor said. 'No question, the last three minutes of the first quarter turned out to be key.'

Knight scored 13 of his game-high 19 in the first half.

Only four Jaguars tallied points. Parker Canady had 12, followed by Noles with 11 and Tucker with 10.

'I thought Noles had one of his best all-around games,' Taylor said. 'He was really good on defense and played with rhythm on offense. Knight made some big shots and showed again that he's one of the best players in the area.

'Tucker came up with eight rebounds to go along with his 10 points and Canady made several key baskets when Newman started to rally,' the coach said.

For Newman, Sean Doolittle led the way with 13 points and seven boards. Connor Rubattino came off the bench to score 12 while Conor McCarthy grabbed 10 rebounds.

'We had good shots in the first quarter but didn't make them,' Cardinals coach Tom Bonfigli said. 'Once you get double digits behind Windsor, it's difficult to catch up.

'They're a really good team; an exceptional team. They have length, quickness and good shooters. They do a lot things really well and they're definitely the best team in our area. They're 25-3 and the real deal.'

The standing room-only crowd saw Windsor win its 17th game in a row.

The Jaguars' largest lead was 34-17 and came in the third quarter. Knight made a layup and was fouled for an old-fashioned 3-point play.

The closest Newman got in the fourth quarter was 48-38 after Doolittle made a 3-point shot with 1:20 left.

Taylor thinks the game will set his team up well for the North Coast Section playoffs that begin next week.

'Playing in front of a big crowd in a playoff atmosphere should prepare us nicely for NCS,' he said.

The Jaguars will get a high seed when the invitations are issued on Sunday.

Newman, with its 19-8 record, will also be going to NCS. The Cardinals are in Division 4 while Windsor will be in Division 2.

In the girls game:

CARDINAL NEWMAN 54, SANTA ROSA 30

The Cardinals didn't play one of their better games, but did enough to win.

'For sure, it wasn't our best game,' coach Monica Mertle said. 'We didn't shoot the ball well, but we defended and rebounded to make up for our lack of scoring.'

The Cardinals outscored league opponents by an average of nearly 45 points during the regular season.

Newman led 30-20 at halftime and the advantage was only seven with 3:34 left in the game.

'We played really well compared to the first two times we played them,' Santa Rosa coach Luis Patrick said. 'We held them to 24 points in the second half. Our defense kept us in the game.'

The Panthers shot only 34 percent from the field (14 of 39).

Patrick thinks Newman will go far in the NCS playoffs.

'I'm impressed the way they move the ball around so quickly,' he said. 'Then on defense, they continually rotate. They're deep to and everyone contributes.'

Newman has won 12 in a row and is 24-4. The Panthers finish the regular season 17-12.