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Varsity girls win championship
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Krystle Brown, Heather Mazza, Meghan Franksen and Kesley Sayad joined the Ceres High varsity girls basketball team when they were freshmen.

On Saturday, the seniors helped lead the Bulldogs to a first-place finish at the Selma Tournament.

Brown was named tournament MVP. The forward/center averaged 17 points per game. Mazza and Meghan Franksen were all-tourney picks.

"This is the first time this crew has won a tournament championship," said Ceres coach Shawna Nunes. "They've come in second. They've won the consolation."

Ceres (4-0) compiled a 3-0 record at the 12-team tournament.

The Bulldogs never trailed at the end of the first quarter in each game. They outscored Kerman 21-4, Bullard 19-9 and Washington Union 17-11.

"We played well," Nunes said. "The competition was good."

The Bulldogs beat Washington Union 52-42 in the title game.

Brown finished with a game-high 21 points. Jennifer Arnold had eight points, including two 3-pointers. Franksen and Sayad each scored six points. Mazza added five points.

Janice Haynie and Jaleesa Laney had 17 and 14 points, respectively, for Washington Union.

Ceres led 33-27 at intermission, 46-35 at the end of the third quarter.

"We never lost the lead after half," Nunes said.

On Thursday, Ceres routed Bullard, 60-29.

Brown scored a game-high 19 points, Mazza had a season-high 18 points, including two 3-pointers, and Arnold added eight points for Ceres, which led 33-16 at halftime.

The Bulldogs outscored Bullard 27-13 in the second half, including 19-5 in the third quarter.

Ceres shot 71 percent (10 of 14) from the free-throw line.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs outscored Kerman 35-13 in the first half and won by 28 points, 59-31.

Eight players scored for Ceres, which shot 56 percent (15 of 27) from the free-throw line.

Sayad, Brown, Franksen and Arnold finished with 12, 11, eight and seven points, respectively. Jones and Donna Zaragoza each scored five points. Emily Coutrakis and Heather Mazza had four points apiece. Crystal Perez had two points. Jessica Mazza added one point.

Arellano, frosh girls take third

Point guard Jessica Arellano and the Ceres High freshman girls basketball team placed third in a field of eight at their own tournament, which was held at Blaker-Kinser Jr. High School.

Arellano was named to the all-tourney team after leading the Bulldogs to a 2-1 record. She averaged 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Arellano was also a major contributor on defense.

"She's our best player," said Ceres coach Greg Magni.

The Bulldogs (3-1) limited two of their three opponents to four points in the first half. Davis and Turlock failed to score in the first quarter.

"We did a good job of playing defense," Magni said. "If we can improve our shooting, we're going to be tough to beat this year."

The Bulldogs defeated Davis 28-18 in the third-place game on Saturday.

Marissa Cabusas scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Jayme Westbrook had 10 points and nine rebounds and Arellano added four points and six rebounds for Ceres, which led 14-4 at halftime.

Each team scored 14 points in the second half.

Arellano had 12 points and 11 rebounds, Westbrook had four points and six rebounds and Seabourn had four points and four rebounds during Ceres' 33-26 loss to Hughson on Friday.

The Bulldogs shot just 16 percent from the field. The Huskies shot 45 percent.

"That was obviously the difference," Magni said.

"We missed a ridiculous amount of layups."

Ceres also struggled from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs shot just 33 percent ( 5-for-15).

The Huskies outscored the Bulldogs 16-9 in the second half, including 12-4 in the third quarter.

Each team scored 17 points in the first half.

Cabusas finished with a team-high eight points, Seabourn scored seven points, and Arellano, Westbrook and Desirae Vasquez each had four points in leading Ceres to a 37-11 victory against Turlock.

Arellano, Westbrook, Seabourn, Madalyn Kaut and Gaby Vera all grabbed three rebounds for Ceres, which led 19-4 at intermission.

Ceres outscored Turlock 17-7 in the second half, including 12-4 in the final quarter.

The visiting Bulldogs shot just 16 percent from the floor for the game. Turlock missed all six of its free-throw attempts. - By DALE BUTLER / Staff Reporter of The Ceres (Calif.) Courier