This week is the last of the regular season for local prep basketball and soccer conferences, including in the Central California Athletic League. Hitting the hardwood and taking the pitch in hopes of clinching and improving playoff positioning have been the programs of Turlock and Pitman high schools.
GIRLS SOCCER: Turlock 5, Pitman 0
The Bulldogs avenged an early-season loss to its crosstown rivals while all but ensuring a home playoff game with a 5-0 blanking of the Pride at Joe Debely Stadium on Monday night.
The victory put a cap on Turlock’s regular season, improving its record to 6-4 against conference opponents and to 11-9 overall. The team clinched second place in the CCAL standing behind Gregori, who achieved a 19-0-1 overall record and were undefeated in league at 10-0, results good enough to have them hold the top ranking in the state.
The Pride, meanwhile, dropped to 5-4-1 in league and to 7-5-2 overall, good for third place and still ensuring at the worst a play-in competition.
Postseason brackets for each of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s seven girls soccer divisions will be released Wednesday evening.
Giving the Bulldogs early momentum Monday was sophomore forward Makenli Watt, who scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of play. Each instance, she used her speed to separate herself from pride defenders down the home sideline to give herself clear shots on goal. She now has 13 on the season.
“It’s always a fun time to play against Pitman,” Watt said of any added motivation. “Coming into this game, I knew this would be one of the last times playing with some of my friends, so I really wanted to give it my all and give them a memorable Senior Night.”
Also finding the back of the net were freshmen Julissa Perez and Camila Ruelas, as well as junior captain Alondra Medel. Senior Isabella Gonzalez recorded five saves as she tallied her fifth shutout of the season.
“The mindset going forward is to just keep this same mentality that we've been having,” said Turlock head coach Fernando Montejano. “Everything's positive. We're all here for each other and all a family. For the next playoff game, I know these girls have the talent, and we're going to train hard these next couple of days… A lot of preparation.”
BOYS SOCCER: Turlock 1, Pitman 0
Turlock’s boys soccer team also had a successful night across town at Pitman High School, putting a cap on the regular season with a 1-0 victory over the Pride.
The Bulldogs won the CCAL title for the second straight year comfortably two weeks ago. Monday’s win gave Turlock a 9-1 record in conference play and an 11-3-4 record overall. The Pride finished in second place with a 5-4-1 league record, while going 12-5-1 in the regular season.
Postseason brackets will be released by the section on Wednesday.
Scoring the lone goal in Monday’s contest was senior Keegan Pires, who won the section’s Division II championship with the Pride a year ago. Fellow senior Kevin Ramirez made four saves as he recorded his fifth shutout of the season.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Turlock 64, Pitman 59
It’s been a trying season for each of the local boys basketball teams competing in the CCAL, but bragging rights were still very much on the line Monday night inside Bulldog Arena. In a game that saw neither team extend a lead past double digits and Pitman leading for the better part of three quarters, Turlock staged a thrilling comeback, led by senior Donovan Muirbrook.
Holding a one point lead with a minute remaining, Muirbrook took matters into his own hands by scoring the final four points of the contest to help lift the Bulldogs to a 64-59 win. He finished with a team-high 21 points.
Both teams are outside of playoff contention, as the Bulldogs improved to 2-7 in conference play and 9-17 overall while the Pride dropped to 3-6 and 8-18 in the regular season. The season wraps up for both programs Wednesday, with the ‘Dogs traveling to play Modesto High (1-23, 0-9 CCAL) and the pride hosting first-place Gregori (19-8, 8-1 CCAL).
It was a collective effort for Turlock, with Muirbrook being one of four to score in double figures. Sophomore Ledger Ladine added 12 while seniors Nehemiah McGowan and Landon Tilby each contributed 11 points. The team also received timely scoring from Josiah Simmons. It was the junior guard’s first game back from nursing a knee injury, and drained a pair of three-pointers down the stretch to keep the Bulldogs in range.
All of the scoring was enough to overcome senior Abhiraj Cheema’s 26 points for the Pride, while junior Gavin Wolford added 11 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pitman 52, Turlock 40
The Pitman girls basketball team completed a season sweep of its crosstown rival on Thursday with a 52-40 win over Turlock, maintaining pace in the CCAL.
The Pride improved to 6-2 in conference play, sitting in second behind 8-0 Gregori in the standings and two games ahead of third place Modesto. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs remain winless in eight league games.
Both teams were in action Tuesday night, with the Pride hosting 4-4 Enochs and the Bulldogs on the road facing 2-6 Downey. Results were not available by press time.
Back to Thursday, Pitman senior Dailynn Greener stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 23 points and seven assists to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore Jasmine Bedoya also scored nine points, while senior Ashli Mendoza added eight. Junior Kaylee Mendoza grabbed nine boards for the Pride.
Junior Janessa Padilla and sophomore Precious Gonzalez handled most of the scoring for the Bulldogs, each totaling a team-high 11 points. Sophomore Isabella Macias recorded a game-high 12 rebounds and five blocks, with junior teammate Rhiley Mendes not far behind with nine boards of her own.
