Central Valley's varsity girls basketball team improved its all-time record versus crosstown-rival Ceres High to 12-10 last week.

The Hawks took control with a 19-9 run in the second quarter and held on for a 45-38 road victory over the Bulldogs Thursday evening at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"It's always a competitive game against Ceres High because they're our rivals," Central Valley senior point guard Blanca Espinoza said.

The Hawks improved to 8-10 on the year and took over sole possession of second place in the Western Athletic Conference (4-1).

The Bulldogs dropped to 9-10 overall and third in the WAC standings (3-2).

"I'm pretty sure we can accomplish our goal," Espinoza said. "We want to win WAC again."

Alexis Contreras had a team-high 13 points to lead Central Valley's balanced scoring attack.

Espinoza tallied 11 points.

Adriana Haynes netted 10 points.
Delores Uti, Rosie Duarte and Sue Dhillon added six, three and two points, respectively.

The Hawks shot 56 percent (15 of 27) from the free-throw line.

"We all worked hard as a team," Espinoza said.

Harmen Bahia had 18 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs, for Ceres High.

Rayohna Sagapolu contributed nine points and 16 rebounds.

Natalia Cortez, Kaylee Holloway and Camryn Silva chipped in with five, three and two points, respectively.

Shelby Veuve had one point.

The Bulldogs shot 38 percent (14 of 37) from the charity stripe.

Ceres High faced a 30-18 deficit at the break.

The Hawks outscored the Bulldogs 19-9 in the second quarter.

"We were making our shots and communicating," Espinoza said.

Central Valley and Ceres High entered the game tied for second place in the WAC standings.

Contreras and Haynes, former Bulldog players, filled key roles during last week's crosstown showdown.

"To me, it feels like any other game," Espinoza said. "You don't win anything for beating just Ceres High. We want to win every game."