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Denairs playoff run ends in opening round
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In its first playoff game in four years, the Denair High boys basketball team traveled to Sacramento to play Capital Christian High. Though the Coyotes produced a good effort, the ride home must’ve been tough to get through.

No. 10 Denair lost 67-49 on Wednesday night to No. 7 Capital Christian in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Tournament. The loss not only signaled the departure of seven seniors on the roster but also the resignation of coach Curtis Wooten, who leaves to spend more time with his family.

Two of the seniors are Wooten’s son, Colby, and guard Clayton McDonald, who was Denair’s top scorer at nearly 18 points per game. The Coyotes finished their season with an 18-10 overall record and 10-4 in the Southern League, which was enough for third place behind champion Ripon Christian High and Mariposa High.

Another highlight for the Coyotes was beating the latter team for the first time in 10 years. They also had a thrilling 74-73 loss to Ripon Christian on Feb. 8, which ultimately took away Denair’s chances of hosting the opening round of the playoffs.

It was Denair’s first postseason appearance since 2007, when the Coyotes opened the playoffs with a 60-53 win over foe Hilmar High before losing to Amador High in the next round.

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.