Submitted photo – The Warriors at the Windsor tournament this week.

According to head coach Cris Rice, the Del Norte boys are still trying to figure out their identity on the basketball court this season, but he believes they will benefit from a challenging three days at the Windsor tournament this week.

The Warriors closed out tournament play with a 59-41 loss to Analy on Friday and were 1-2 over the three days, while playing some tough opponents.

“This tournament was good for us,” Rice said. “We saw some top-tier teams. There were five solid, solid teams down here.”

The Warriors opened the tournament with a 64-46 loss to San Marin on Wednesday, with career-highs in points for both Westyn Fitch (12) and Ayden Antonetti (eight).

They bounced back on Thursday to get the better of Roseland Prep by a score of 65-26, with senior Ethan Thomas again playing a key role and finishing with 18 points.

Wyatt Robson added 14 points and Lyon Rigden chipped in 10 points.

Antonetti posted another career-high in points on Friday, scoring nine points on three 3-pointers.

Merrick Crabb paced the team with 10 points, while Thomas finished with five.

“We played pretty physical and good defense,” Rice said of the Analy game. “We just couldn’t get any offense.”

The game closed out a hectic December for the Warriors, who played 16 games in the month and are now 7-9.

Sickness and injuries within the squad haven’t helped and the head coach says he is looking forward to some undisturbed practice with his players next week before they tip off the Big 5 in early January.

“We’re excited about Christmas and being with our families and then we’ll get back to work next week,” Rice said, adding that “we’re still trying to find our identity. We’re not a very good defensive team right now, and we’ve got to stop turning the ball over. We’re still improving.”

Thomas continues to lead the team offensively, while Rice also liked what he saw from Brody Mattz, who shut down Analy’s best player and held him to just five points. 

“I thought that Brody had his best game,” Rice said. “And I thought Westyn had his best game.”

The head coach also praised the play of point guard Cooper Maxwell, who just recently returned to the lineup from injury.

“I liked the energy of Cooper Maxwell,” Rice said.