In the first round of playoffs in the Optimist Youth Basketball 11th- and 12th-grade boys division, every player scored as Napa Valley Jewelers edged Uva Trattoria, 47-43, with Kyle Rankin leading the way with 10 points.

As he said hello and introduced himself Monday morning in the Browns Valley Elementary School multi-purpose room, Troy Mott had a question for the young students in front of him.

Vintage High School’s Ben Molinari and Napa’s Ben Ballantine were named First-Team all-Monticello Empire League for boys basketball, the head coaches announced at their all-league meeting Monday night. Both players are centers.

Paige Andres scored eight points to propel Napco Painting to a 26-21 win over Nita’s Trophies in the division championship game on Sunday.

When a sold-out crowd of 2,300 participants line up for the 31st annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday, March 1, each runner will carry with them a personal story about why they are tackling the challenging 26.2-mile distance.

Local Schedule

Redwood Middle School beat Harvest 68-53 to complete an undefeated eighth-grade boys basketball season under coach Dylan Leach.

A bone marrow donor drive for Alexis Nielson Stone is Saturday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 2840 Soscol Ave.

When I started this column two Friday afternoons ago, it began:

The long-awaited storms that arrived recently in the Napa Valley have been a godsend to our watersheds.

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Tuesday in the Napa Valley:

Amy Knopka caught this 18-inch trout on a New Year’s Day trip to the north side of Lake Hennessey. She fooled the trout using worms and a “Princess Pole.”