Ceres High School's varsity girls basketball team ended the 2014-15 season with a hard-to-stomach 42-41 loss against Pacheco on Feb. 16 in Los Banos.

The Bulldogs routed the Panthers 41-18 on Jan. 20 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"We were up pretty much the whole game," Ceres High head coach Kristen McClure said. "They played with more intensity the second half."

The Bulldogs compiled a 7-12 record and tied for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference (4-8) with Los Banos.

The Panthers (1-11) finished last in the WAC standings.

"I know the girls wanted to end the season with a bang," McClure said. "We didn't do that. They never gave up though. I'm looking forward to working with the girls over the summer and getting ready for next year."

Ceres High's Nicole Bates and Pacheco's Sam Rodriguez combined to score 57 points.

Rodriguez poured in a game-high 30 points.

Bates had a team-high 27 points.

Bulldog teammates Perla Vargas and Ariel Knights chipped in with five and three points, respectively.

Jessica Arreola, Adryana Knights and Jasmine Moore contributed two points each in defeat.

"She (Rodriguez) played an awesome game," McClure said.

The Rodriguez-led Panthers erased a 15-point deficit.
Ceres High tied for fifth place in the WAC (5-7) with crosstown-rival Central Valley a year ago.

Second-place Central Valley (10-2) advanced to the playoffs this season, along with third-place Livingston.

The Bulldogs lost 45-42 to the Hawks on Jan. 22 and 54-49 to the Wolves in overtime on Jan. 2.

"I know the girls are all very upset about this loss but I'm so proud of them," McClure said. "They accomplished so much this season. We had a pretty new team with a lot of girls moving up from JV and having to play with the returners. They played hard every single day. We're looking forward to next season. It will be a completely different year for us. We will be solid, strong and fast."