Marysville sophomore guard Abigail Pietz (2) drives into the lane against Yuba City on Wednesday, November 29 at Live Oak in the 26th Annual Lois Langford Tournament. Photo by Steven Bryla

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - The 26th Annual Lois Langford girls’ basketball tournament featured three area schools last week at Live Oak High School from Wednesday, November 29 through Friday, December 1.

Marysville

The Marysville Lady Indians went 3-0 in the tournament with decisive wins over Yuba City (65-16), River Valley (56-38), and Live Oak (96-12) and brought the championship trophy home.

Marysville (4-1) junior guard Demi Boykin was named tournament Most Valuable Player as she averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, five assists and seven steals per game throughout the tournament.

Lady Indians senior forward Krystal Briggs (10.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.6 steals per game) and sophomore guard Abigail Pietz (10.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game) were named to the All-tournament team.

Marysville head coach Ike Prince expressed to the Dispatch that his team beat the teams they were supposed to beat in this tournament.

Prince added that strong examples of their defensive abilities had glimpses throughout each game of the tournament.

“When we were aggressive on defense and anticipated where the ball was gonna be, it showed what we could be everyday,” Prince said.

The Lady Indians' strong defensive press is well-known by their opponents, but the offense from those teams still can’t successfully beat it.

Offensively, Marysville looked dominant as the heavy defensive presence led to easy outlet passes in the open court for layups right under the basket.

The Lady Indians hosted Pioneer on Monday and will play Valley Christian next Tuesday, December 12.

Marysville will also play in the Chavez Classic at Lincoln High School with a lot of competitive teams from December 14-16.

Yuba City

The Yuba City Lady Honkers went 1-2 in the tournament and went 1-2 in the Langford tournament.

Yuba City freshman Allie Campbell (22) goes up for a layup against Marysville in the 26th Annual Lois Langford girls basketball tournament at Live Oak High School from Wednesday, November 29 through Friday, December 1. Photo by Steven Bryla

Yuba City struggled to overcome the powerful press from Marysville and played from behind the entire first game of the tournament.

Lady Honkers head coach Michelle Brazil expressed to the Dispatch that her team never gave up playing hard despite the score of the game and that it was huge for her young roster.

With four freshmen on the roster, Brazil added that she is emphasizing the chemistry and timing of the team down because of the young roster she currently has.

Brazil added that she is looking for the senior leaders to help pave the way for the younger players on the roster.

The Lady Honkers beat Lindhurst last Thursday 56-3 and were beaten in the third place game on December 1 by Capital Valley Conference rival River Valley.

Yuba City played Oakmont and Lindhurst this past week before they will play at West Park in Roseville next Tuesday, December 12 before playing in the Chavez Tournament at Lincoln on December 14.

River Valley

The River Valley Lady Falcons went 2-1 in the tournament and took third place with victories over Central Valley and Yuba City this past Thursday and Friday.

River Valley senior forward Tanvi Joshi (52) attempts a lay-up during the 26th Annual Lois Langford Tournament from Wednesday, November 29th through Friday, December 1 at Live Oak High School. Photo by Chris Pedigo

River Valley head coach Thomas Zaragoza expressed to the Dispatch that his team struggled against the press defense that Marysville ran efficiently in the first game of the tournament, and they need to improve on handling pressure better.

He added that everyone got to see a lot of playing time in the wins over Central Valley and Yuba City.

Zaragoza told the Dispatch that practice times in between tournaments are key for making adjustments of what works well and what hasn’t worked well in the games so far.

He added that in the time he has been back with the program that the girls have responded well and would like to add more court awareness moving forward.

The Lady Falcons traveled to play at River City on Tuesday night and began the Woodland Christian tournament last night.

35th Annual Jim Ernst RedHawk Classic

COLUSA, CA (MPG) - The 35th Annual Jim Ernst RedHawks Classic took place from Thursday, November 30 through Saturday, December 2 where the Sutter Lady Huskies took second place in the tournament.

Sutter

Sutter went 2-1 in the tournament and beat Pierce and Durham before they fell to Colusa in the final 43-33.

Lady Huskies head coach Brandee Harter expressed to the Dispatch that junior guard Sydney Meagher and junior forward Torrence Harter, made the All-League tournament team as Torrence averaged 18.6 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 7.3 steals and 6.3 blocks in the tournament.

Brandee added that Torrence and Meagher took charge as the leaders of the team as Torrence’s effort was contagious and Meagher left it all on the floor.

Brandee added that senior guard Megan O’Neal showed a ton of grit and passion on defense and that was a big reason the Lady Huskies kept pace with Colusa in the championship game.

Brandee said that freshmen forwards Sissy Luttrell and Mia Bautista showed the Sutter coaching staff they made the correct move on bringing them both up to the varsity level.

The Lady Huskies hosted Oroville this past Tuesday evening and began the Woodland Christian tournament last night.

Sutter will get another shot at Colusa next Tuesday, December 12 as they host the RedHawks in a non-league match up.