Central Valley improved its all-time record versus Ceres High in varsity girls basketball to 8-10 this past week.

The Hawks held on for a 55-47 win over the Bulldogs on Thursday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"It's just another game," Central Valley head coach Jesse Padilla said.

The Hawks spoiled Ceres High's Senior Night and secured the Western Athletic Conference's No. 2 berth for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs.

"We beat them and clinched a playoff berth at the same time," Central Valley senior guard Lindsey Alexander said. "It means everything to us."

The Hawks improved to 16-7 overall and 9-2 in the WAC.

The Bulldogs dropped to 7-11 and 4-7.

Central Valley's Mikayla Mabie led all scorers with 18 points. She had a game-high 17 points during the Hawks' 45-42 victory against the Bulldogs at home on Jan. 22.

Lindsey Alexander buried four treys and tallied 16 points versus Ceres High.

Adriana Haynes and Teresa Diaz scored eight points each.

Heaven Simon and Alyssa Costa chipped in with three and two points, respectively.

Nicole Bates scored a team-high 11 points for Ceres High. Simon and Alexander took turns guarding Bates.

"She's capable of doing just about anything," Padilla said while talking about Bates. "She's dangerous."

Ariel Knights, Jessica Arreola and Perla Vargas tallied 10, eight and six points, respectively.

Allyson Hailey, Jade Moore and Jasmine Moore all scored four points.

Vargas and fellow Bulldog seniors Karina Ceja, Cameron Diaz and Kinsey Ward were recognized before the game.

"This is the game we wanted to win," Arreola said. "We were confident. We worked hard at practice. We played well. We just fell short."

The Hawks appeared headed for a decisive victory before the Bulldogs made the game interesting.

Central Valley built a 32-20 lead in the opening half as Alexander and Mabie combined for 25 points. Lindsey drained three treys and totaled 13 points. Mikayla added 12 points.

"We knew we had to come out strong," Alexander said. "It's a rivalry game. We executed on offense and defense."

Ceres High trailed 45-32 at the end of the third quarter.

The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 15-10 in the final period.

"It's always a tough game," Arreola said. "We could have shot more and played better defense."

Central Valley returns to the playoffs following a two-year absence.

"We've been talking about this since preseason," Alexander said. "It's great."

"I hope they represent our town well in the playoffs," Arreola stated.

"Winning is always fun," Padilla added. "The girls are working hard. We could be even better."