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AN HISTORIC WIN: Central Valley girls finally beat Ceres High in 56-31 drubbing
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There was no over-the-top celebration following the Central Valley High School varsity girls basketball team's 56-31 drubbing of crosstown-rival Ceres High on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Senior leader Alyssa Long and the Hawks bottled up their excitement out of respect for the Bulldogs, who own an all-time record of 8-1 against Central Valley.

"We're from the same city," Long said. "We feel their pain."

The Hawks finished in a tie for first place with Patterson at 4-1 during the first half of the Western Athletic Conference season.

Last-place Ceres High posted a 1-4 record.

Myra Naranjo netted a game-high 17 points for Central Valley. Brittany Martinez scored a career-high 15 points. Diana Carmona collected seven points. Eva Noorzai and Melinda Camarillo tallied four points apiece. Vivien Fermil had three points. Long, Lizette Covarrubias and Penny Chanthavong chipped in with two points each.

"Myra was hot," Hawks head coach Jesse Padilla said. "She's been working so hard on her shot and it shows in games. Brittany's a work in progress. She's only a sophomore."

The Hawks limited Bryce Ford, Ceres High's top player, to just 12 points. She was hounded by Long, Carmona and Covarrubias.

"We knew she was going to get the ball 90 percent of the time," Padilla said.

Bulldogs teammates Ashton Frampton, Bethany Mazza and Jessica Ellsworth contributed eight, six and five points, respectively.

Central Valley delivered the knockout blow in the first quarter.

The Hawks outscored the Hawks 16-2. CV tallied 13 straight points in the final four-plus minutes.

Naranjo buried back-to-back 3-pointers. Noorzai scored twice inside. Fermil drilled a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to play.

The Hawks showed no mercy during the remaining three quarters.

The Bulldogs trailed 40-21 heading into the final period.

"We just didn't play well," Ford said while attempting to fight back tears. "It's very frustrating."

Central Valley ended years of frustration last week. The Hawks will try to complete the sweep when they travel to Ceres High for a 7:30 p.m clash on Feb. 17.

"It's an amazing feeling to finally be able to beat them," said Long, 1-6 versus the Bulldogs in four seasons. "We knew there was a possibility of losing if our nerves got to us. We had confidence in each other."

Central Valley accomplished one of its goals.

"It's just another step to where we want to get," Hawks head coach Jesse Padilla said. "We're focused on the long run, which is the league title and playoffs. Everyone's committed. It's nice to see that."