Hilmar High’s girls basketball team entered Monday’s home game against Central Catholic with high energy and expectations to win. Unfortunately, the Raiders were able to keep the Yellowjackets at bay, claiming victory 51-38.

The matchup was everything one would expect from an early season game. Players from both teams made simple mistakes, fouls were common and, at moments, the offensive timing seemed out of synch.

“We need to work on our fundamentals and slowing the ball down a bit,” head coach Don Inman said. “We are a very athletic team and we like to move it fast, but there’s a time to slow it down.”

Despite some of their blunders, the Yellowjackets were able to come back after trailing most of the first half and keep it close for most of the game. Halfway through the second quarter Hilmar was able to pull ahead of Central Catholic, leading the Raiders by six points.

The lead didn’t last for long. In the final minutes of the first half Central Catholic rallied to tie the game, scoring the tying basket with three seconds left for a halftime score of 19-19.

When the teams returned to the court they proceeded to play neck and neck. There were three lead changes in the third quarter and each team was one basket away from tying or taking the lead. The fourth quarter was a different story as Central Catholic’s offense hit high gear, scoring 21 fourth quarter points to Hilmar’s 9.

“Hats off to Central; they converted when it was on the line. We’ll hopefully get them in three weeks when we see them again,” Inman said. “It was a disappointing loss but it’s a game we’re going to learn a lot from and move forward with.”

Hilmar will travel to Monterey on Thursday to face the Toreadores.

To contact Frankie Tovar, e-mail ftovar@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.