Turlock High varsity boys basketball had a chance at redemption on Monday night in what resulted in a rematch from Saturday’s Godinez Tournament finale between the Bulldogs and the Golden Valley Cougars.
In the Godinez finale, GV managed to come out on top, 52-36, taking the tournament title by storm with a perfect 3-0 record. Turlock finished second, while Beyer took third place.
Turlock saw their Monday pre-league matchup as another chance at the Godinez champs, and they kept it close from the start. By the conclusion of Monday’s game, however, GV had pulled away to a double-digit lead and held it as they won, 58-48.
“They definitely shot better from the outside in this game than they did the last game. We knew it was going to be a physical game and it was,” said THS head coach Doug Cornfoot. “Right now, we give up too many second and third opportunities to good teams, and we are down eight at half, but the guy scores at the end of the half on a tip and foul, so those little things come back and kill us.”
GV’s Aurrion Harris, the Godinez Most Valuable Player, finished with 16 points while Avery Townsel tallied a game-high 18 points for Monday’s game.
Solomon Ussery and junior Anthony Mendoza each tied for a team-high 13 points while Daniel Malagon had 11 points for the game.
Following Monday’s contest, the Bulldogs are 5-5 overall.
“The good thing now is that we have had so many games in the last two weeks that we really have had maybe three practices in the last two weeks cause of the schedule,” said Cornfoot. “Now we have time off until the MC tournament, and a lot of things that we have to shore up and reteach and hopefully get better and be ready for the MC tournament and two preseason games before league starts Jan. 13.”
Turlock trailed GV by just three after the first quarter ended on Monday.
Down 13-10, Turlock fought their way back, but the combination of Harris and Townsel was effective and challenging to stop.
GV pulled away in the second quarter and led by as many as 10.
By halftime, GV led 30-22 after a last second foul called against Turlock to end the second with some question marks.
GV opened up the third on fire after they went on a 14-2 run in just two minutes and 29 seconds.
GV led by as many as 20 points and by the end of the third the score read 48-31.
Turlock looked to battle back and cut the lead to nine points in the fourth quarter, but with just over four minutes, it was too late.
“We don’t have the firepower to go on a 12-0 run like we did last year where we had four or five guys getting shots off, so we had to make sure our possessions are solid,” said Cornfoot. “I think the first few possessions we were trying to force the ball into the post and they come down and score and went from eight to a 16 point game in a matter of minutes because we cannot stay, for some reason, with what stuck and worked in the first half. I think the group at the end, played physical and aggressive and they were attacking the basket, and that is kind of what we want and we get it sometimes.”
Turlock’s next game will be in the Modesto Christian Tournament against Weston Ranch at a time yet to announced on Dec. 26.
