Ceres High appeared up for the challenge during the opening eight minutes of Thursday's crosstown battle with visiting Central Valley.
Down 13-8, the Bulldogs managed to score just one point during the second quarter and never regrouped in losing 39-26 to the Hawks in junior-varsity girls basketball at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
"We've been training for this the whole month," Hawks leading scorer Melissa Afortunado said. "We were prepared. We played great defense the entire game."
Central Valley (9-2) finished second behind undefeated Livingston in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
Ceres High compiled a 4-8 record.
Afortunado tallied a team-high 11 points against the Bulldogs.
Lynaya Lerma made two treys and totaled eight points.
Lindsay Alexander and Heaven Simon chipped in with five points each.
Jewel Miranda, a transfer from Ceres High, collected four points.
Emerald Gutierrez, Gurmanpreet Kaur and Princess Pe all scored two points.
Bulldog Perla Vargas led all scorers with 15 points.
Valerie Hamilton, Karina Ceja and Kinsey Ward had four, three and two points, respectively.
Central Valley outscored Ceres High 23-9 in the opening half.
The Hawks posted a 2-0 record versus the Bulldogs this year.
"It's a rivalry game," Afortunado said. "We had to win. We played smart."
Down 13-8, the Bulldogs managed to score just one point during the second quarter and never regrouped in losing 39-26 to the Hawks in junior-varsity girls basketball at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
"We've been training for this the whole month," Hawks leading scorer Melissa Afortunado said. "We were prepared. We played great defense the entire game."
Central Valley (9-2) finished second behind undefeated Livingston in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
Ceres High compiled a 4-8 record.
Afortunado tallied a team-high 11 points against the Bulldogs.
Lynaya Lerma made two treys and totaled eight points.
Lindsay Alexander and Heaven Simon chipped in with five points each.
Jewel Miranda, a transfer from Ceres High, collected four points.
Emerald Gutierrez, Gurmanpreet Kaur and Princess Pe all scored two points.
Bulldog Perla Vargas led all scorers with 15 points.
Valerie Hamilton, Karina Ceja and Kinsey Ward had four, three and two points, respectively.
Central Valley outscored Ceres High 23-9 in the opening half.
The Hawks posted a 2-0 record versus the Bulldogs this year.
"It's a rivalry game," Afortunado said. "We had to win. We played smart."
