By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
CHS challenges Central Catholic
57914a.jpg
57914a
Ceres High School's varsity girls basketball team dropped its Western Athletic Conference opener to visiting Central Catholic last week.

Hurt by inconsistent play on offense, the Bulldogs lost 43-37 to the Raiders Thursday night at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"We hear what our coaches are saying but we don't apply it," Ceres High guard/forward Bryce Ford said. "We're not running through our offense the right way. We're trying to score too fast."

Ford poured in 10 of her game-high 18 points in the first half for the Bulldogs, who shot just 52 percent (11 of 21) from the free-throw line.

Bethany Mazza added 12 points.

Margaret Gallo and Jacqueline Kisst had 10 points apiece for Central Catholic (9-7).

Ceres High led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs faced a 28-15 deficit following a scoreless stretch of eight-plus minutes between the second and third quarters.

Ceres High got back into the game with runs of 11-2 and 8-1 in the second half. Mazza scored five straight points in the third quarter. Elizabeth Nunes' 3-pointer cut the deficit to 30-36.

The Bulldogs' offensive struggles continued in the fourth quarter.

Shut out for four-plus minutes, Ceres High swayed the momentum in its favor with an 8-1 run. Bethany and Bryce tallied four points each.

Ahead 38-34, Central Catholic converted 5 of 8 free throws in the final 1:52.

"We played hard like we always do," Bryce said.

Bethany, younger sister of former Ceres High standouts Heather and Jessica Mazza, had a breakout game. She accounted for 10 of her team's 22 second-half points.

"She should do that more," Ford said.

Ceres High (2-10, 0-1) will face WAC rival Los Banos on the road this week (Jan. 11).

"Our confidence has gone up since preseason," Ford said. "We've improved a lot, especially on our defense."

Frosh-soph girls survive

Ceres High School's frosh-soph girls basketball team opened WAC play with back-to-back wins last week.

The Bulldogs escaped with a 35-33 victory over Central Catholic on Thursday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"It was very intense," Ceres High guard Diana Salgado said.

The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 in the league standings. The Raiders dropped to 0-2 in conference play.

Salgado paced Ceres High with 16 points.

"If it wasn't for everybody else, we wouldn't have won this game," Diana said. "It was a great team effort."

Alisa Couvson scored all 10 of her points in the second half.

Ceres High routed visiting Pacheco 53-16 on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Dia Borden and Haley Fisicaro led the Bulldogs in scoring with 10 points apiece.

Frosh girls dominate

Ceres High School's freshman girls basketball team enjoyed a successful start to the Western Athletic Conference season.

The Bulldogs pounded Pacheco, 43-16, on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"We didn't rely on just one person," Ceres High head coach Jennifer Arnold said. "It was everybody."

The Bulldogs improved to 4-5 on the year and 1-0 in the WAC standings.

Edith Peralta scored a game-high 10 points for Ceres High. Tessa Corsaut and Kayla Neal contributed eight and seven points, respectively. Larissa Vasquez and Stacey Jolley both tallied six points.