THE 59TH ANNUAL Redwood Classic Basketball Tournament has come and gone, and I can say as a veteran of tournaments back to 1970, that the gym has never looked better, so good I thought maybe the school had hired a professional gym decorator, if there is such a thing. Nope. Superintendent Hutchins assured me that “it was all student work,” pointing out that the district “purchased a poster printer/plotter a couple years ago and the kids figured out they were not limited in length and width. I was impressed too.”
THE NAMED STUDENTS responsible for the splendors of the gym and the brilliantly assembled program are Rosie Guerrero and Daisy Ibarra. I especially enjoyed the acknowledgement page of the program where Ken Jones and Norman Clow, past editors of the program, are described as “Old Men Editors.” They weren’t nearly so decrepit in those days, but Rosie Guerrero and Daisy Ibarra’s effort this year makes the two geezers seem at least antiquated.
AND KUDOS to athletic director Robert Pinoli, the man behind the tournament scene, who directed Ms. G and her capable student crew in creating a most memorable 59th Redwood Classic.
MS. HUTCHINS HERSELF did a very nice job introducing the honored guests of the 1966 Panther basketball team, three of whom traveled from Arizona for the festivities.
(L to R: Eugene Waggoner. Rick Cupples, Charlie Hiatt, Larry Banks, Dave
Pronsolino, Ron Pronsolino, Tom Rawles, Dan Huey and Gary Bates.)
VERY HAPPY to report that Cloverdale won the Classic, knocking off Stuart Hall of San Francisco, 74-73, for the championship. And our SoCo neighbors, to get to the championship beat Branson of Marin, holding the visitors from Julia Child’s alma mater to two (count ‘em) points in the fourth quarter. MVP Jayson McMillan, incidentally, is the son of the great Cloverdale hoopster, Craig McMillan who went on to star at Arizona and to coach at Santa Rosa JC. Dad's Cloverdale teams were state champs. Craig's son Jayson is also shaping up as a Division One player.
HOOPA and Woodside went against each other for the Consolation title. At halftime, Woodside Priory, led by a 6'10" kid with major leaping ability, was up by 11 points, making the score 37-26. Hoopa, much smaller, was unable to turn the game around when they only scored 3 points in the third quarter and Woodside Priory 29 points. The final score of the game was 77 - 35 giving Woodside Priory the Consolation title.
THIRD PLACE was fought between Branson and Pinewood. Branson had accumulated 23 points at halftime, while Pinewood had 13. Although Pinewood scored 12 points in the 3rd quarter and 17 in the fourth and Branson 11 and 17, they were unable to come back from their low scoring in the first two quarters. The final score was 51- 45 allowing Branson to take home the third place trophy.
IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, Cloverdale and Stuart Hall faced each other once again. At the end of the first quarter Cloverdale was up a a mere 4 points, the score being 19-15. At halftime, Cloverdale was still in the lead with 33 points and Stuart Hall with 26 points. Stuart Hall scored 23 points in the 3rd quarter while Cloverdale scored 26. The Eagles began the fourth quarter with 55 points and the Knights with 49. Stuart Hall came back very strong and put up quite a fight. The final score of the game was 74-73, the score being in Cloverdale's favor. Cloverdale became the 2016 Redwood Classic Champions.
MVP: Jayson McMillan, Cloverdale
Miguel Barajas)
All Tournament Selections
- Emmanuel: Ajanaku-Makun
- Woodside Priory: Will Jacobsen
- Branson: Nathan Luna
- Laytonville: Matthew Peery
- Pinewood: Georar Navarro
- Hoopa: Harrison Haney
- Head Royce: Dana Stewart
- Stuart Hall: Sean Ingloglia
- Stuart Hall: Jordan Persons
- Cloverdale: Jared Votaw
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