Boys High School Basketball League play has opened up in Sonoma County for the final time in the current format, so let’s take a look at who to be watching for.
Sonoma County League
Petaluma and Healdsburg are both off to 2-0 starts. Petaluma took care of Elsie Allen and El Molino, while Healdsburg beat Sonoma and Piner. Petaluma is hovering around .500 for the season, but have played a very tough non league schedule, including going to a tournament in Clovis over the winter break. Petaluma has solid wins over Napa and Vintage. The Trojans are lead by Devin Gottschall,, and have Jack Anderson and Brendan O’Neill back, as well as Justin Wolbert and Whitaker Ellis. Kenny Alexander, who transferred from Cardinal Newman, should bring depth inside for Petaluma. Healdsburg has racked up 10 wins already. They’ve played Cardinal Newman and Tamalpais very tough, while beating Piner. Healdsburg brings back Trey Chapman and Desmond Swan, as well as featuring freshman Dylan Heyman. The Prospectors are also formidable. Jarred Saddler and Brennan Carpenter will be keys for Piner. If Scott Erickson gets by on the court for Piner, this can be a very compelling race. A few games to watch for are Healdsburg @ Petaluma on 1/18, Piner @ Healdsburg on 1/26, Piner @ Petaluma on 1/29, and on the final night of the season on 2/9, Petaluma @ Healdsburg.

North Bay League
Cardinal Newman is again atop the NBL. Bennett Kohut and Brad Morato will be keys for the Cardinals to keep their spot in first place of the NBL. Montgomery, on the other hand, has two great shooters in Evan Poulsen and Tyson Timko. Riley O’Neill will add size inside for the Vikings. Windsor could be a dark horse in the NBL, causing some problems. Riley and Justin Smith will be a lot of size for teams to deal with.