Competing shorthanded in the third-place game of its home tournament, Central Valley High School's freshman girls basketball team still prevailed.

The Hawks rebounded from a tough loss in the semifinals with a 45-19 victory over Turlock on Saturday to claim hardware.

Blanca Espinoza, Central Valley's leading scorer, missed the contest due to another commitment.

"Other girls stepped up," head coach Julie Gant said. "That was nice to see. I'm feeling good about the outcome. They came back and played really hard. They wanted it. I wish it was a little more competitive."

The Hawks had three players score in double figures, including Victoria Castillo (15), Adria Robinson (12) and Alexsandra Delgado (11).

Central Valley won two of three games last week and improved to 5-2 on the year.

"They're working hard," Gant said. "We have all the components to be a good team."

Buhach Colony edged Central Valley 42-39 in the semifinals on Friday.

Espinoza had a team-high 18 points.

Central Valley routed Franklin 46-15 in the opening round on Thursday.

Espinoza totaled 15 points.

Castillo was an all-tournament selection.

CV boys dominate
Central Valley's freshman boys basketball team had 10 different players contribute on offense during its 52-36 victory against host Atwater on Monday, Dec. 9.

"Our substitutes got a little more playing time because we got a pretty comfortable lead," head coach Carlos Maldonado said. "They held their own. Everybody had a good time."

Jaspreet Singh poured in a team-high 12 points for the Hawks, who improved to 3-3 overall.

Harinder Sidhu added nine points.

Oso Fregoso and Aondray Peoples both scored six points.

Jonathan Barragan and Rodney Stahl contributed five points each.

Ralph Afortunado and Jacob Guerrero tallied three points apiece.

Chase Winchester chipped in with two points.

Ryan Hendrix had one point.

The Hawks outscored the Falcons 22-14 in the opening half.

"Our offense was clicking," Maldonado said. "We used multiple defenses. We frustrated them."

Bulldogs battle back
Slowed by traffic, Ceres High's freshman boys basketball team arrived at West of Tracy 19 minutes before tipoff.

"I rushed them out of the locker room," Bulldogs head coach Tracy Bull said. "We didn't get a proper warm-up. That's not a recipe for success."

Ceres High overcame a slow start and defeated West 65-53 in non-conference play on Dec. 10.

Bulldog center Nick Jones scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half for the Bulldogs, who improved to 4-1 on the year.

Ceres High point guard Ismael Ontiveros drained three treys and totaled 13 points.

Bulldog teammates Elijah Niblett and Haaydn Martinez both contributed 11 points.

CHS girls roll
Ceres High School's freshman girls basketball team placed first again.

The Bulldogs captured their second straight tournament title this past week by compiling a perfect 3-0 record at Grace Davis High School.

Ceres High, coached by Kristen McClure and Kyleesha Williams, improved to 7-0 on the year.

"We want them to listen to what we say at practice and do that in games," said McClure, head coach. "We just want them to become better players. We want them to be consistent. Winning is a bonus."

Ceres High was awarded a first-place plaque after beating host Grace Davis 40-8 on Saturday in Modesto.

Alexis Contreras collected a game-high 17 points.

Aliyah Smith added 13 points.