The end was inevitable for the Turlock Christian girls basketball team, but the Eagles experienced it on the state’s biggest stage once again.

Due to an unproductive second quarter, the Eagles ended another successful season in the first round of the CIF State Tournament. This time, it was a 56-45 road loss to Rincon Valley Christian High in Santa Rosa on Tuesday night.

“The whole second period was too much to overcome,” TC coach Edwin Santiago noted.

His Eagles were outscored 15-5 in the second quarter — though they went on to win the final two periods. And they also allowed three Rincon Valley Christian players to score in double-digits, with Arianna Hanson leading with 19 points.

The Eagles (21-10) were led by seniors Molly Farrar and Kara Gabrielson, who finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively. They also finished the season knowing they had back-to-back state tournament experiences.

Turlock Christian loses four seniors after this season, including Kaisa Spycher and Molly Zuhlke. That means the Eagles will return a good chunk of their roster next season, not to mention possibly having back a healthy Halie Bergman, the high-scoring sophomore who has been sidelined with an injury since late last season.

“We’re going to miss them dearly,” Santiago said about his departing seniors, “not because they’re basketball players. They were a great part of our family. It’s tough to say goodbye. They’re great people.”

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