Ceres High School's freshman girls basketball team put its perfect record on the line when playing host to crosstown-rival Central Valley.

The Bulldogs imposed their will in the second half and pulled away for a 40-26 win over the Hawks on Jan. 9 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"We were pretty confident going into the game," Bulldogs post player Aliyah Smith said. "We practice and play hard as a team."

Ceres High teammate Julia Pata added 10 points.

Alexis Contreras totaled six points.

Breanna Moreno and Angelita Cerrillo tallied four points each.

Leena Bassi, Ishvir Chahal and Raimee Mendoza all contributed two points.

Central Valley's Blanca Espinoza led all scorers with 12 points.

Gabriela Bonales, Annalicia Carbone and Adria Robinson had seven, four and three points, respectively.

The Hawks faced a 17-11 deficit while challenging the Bulldogs in the opening half.

Central Valley's lead ballooned to 17, 28-11, with 5:37 to play in the third quarter. The Hawks scored 11 straight points.

"We were in it," Hawks head coach Julie Gant said. "We just struggled on offense. It was pretty physical. You can't let that stop you from playing the game. You have to work through it. It will be more competitive next time."

Ceres High defeated visiting Los Banos 35-18 last Thursday.

Breanna Moreno paced the Bulldogs with 11 points.

The Bulldogs built a 21-5 lead in the opening half.

Host Ceres High routed Patterson 33-3 on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Kendall Meyer had a team-high seven points.

Ceres High (12-0, 5-0 Western Athletic Conference) will play at Central Valley (12-3, 2-1) this Thursday at 4:30 p.m.