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Lady Dawgs earn bragging rights
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With 29 seconds left in the Ceres High varsity girls basketball team's game against crosstown Valley Oak League rival Central Valley and the score tied at 30-all, Bulldogs sophomore Jode Johnson stepped to the free-throw line.

After missing her first attempt, one thought crossed her mind.

"I better make the next one or coach (Phil de la Porte) is going to kill me. I was pretty nervous. I was shaking out there."

Johnson came through in the clutch and the Bulldogs held on for a 31-30 victory over the visiting Hawks in the season finale for both programs on Feb. 14.

"It feels good," Ceres High point guard Brittany Lusk said. "We made them hurt a little. That's what counts, right."

"I knew it was going to be a close game," Central Valley point guard Julie Calderon said. "We just didn't finish. That's what we needed."

Freshman Stephanie Yankovich tallied a team-high nine points for the Bulldogs, who finished in a tie for fourth place in the Valley Oak League standings with Weston Ranch at 5-9. Lusk, Johnson, Kaylee Brown and Amy Raymond added seven, six, four and three points, respectively. Aimee Gunzenhauser and freshman Jamie Beck chipped in one point each.

Calderon totaled a team-high nine points for the Hawks, who finished in last place in conference play (2-12). Marissa Cabusas and sophomore Phylicia Martinez had eight points apiece. Latrisha Jordan and freshman Alyssa Long added three and two points, respectively.

Ceres High trailed 12-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 23-18 over the final 24 minutes, including 6-2 in the third quarter.

Johnson accounted for five of Ceres High's 11 second-half points.

Central Valley managed to score just 10 points after intermission.

"We played a great defensive game," Bulldogs head coach Shawna Nunes said.

"I thought we'd do better," Calderon said. "Little things like turnovers added up to a lot in the end."

Central Valley had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation. Hounded by two Bulldog defenders, Calderon passed to teammate Whitney Richardson in the waning seconds. Her potential game-winner from near the foul line rimmed out as time expired.

Julie had hoped to play hero again.

"I wanted to take the last shot, but I knew it wasn't going to come to me," said Calderon, whose buzzer-beater propelled Central Valley to its first-ever league win on Jan. 22 at Manteca. "They had two players on me the whole game. I had to dish to someone else."

Added Johnson: "We knew if it wasn't in Julie's hands they wouldn't make it."