Pitman High's boys finished off their season with a 55-50 upset over Buhach Colony High Wednseday night. The Thunder (9-5 CCC) arrived at Pitman's gym tied with Turlock in the CCC but a determined Pride (8-7 CCC) team knocked them down to third place and out of title contention.
The Thunder and Pride battled back and forth in the first half with one point separating the two at halftime. Buhach, which led 27-26 at the beginning of the third quarter, had to deal with a tough Pride defense that forced nine turnovers on the night. Led by Skyler Sexton's thirteen points and Trevor Pata's season high 20 points, the Pride rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring Buhach 15-7, for their first win in four games.
Pitman started its season with promise but struggled with consistency throughout. Key losses to Turlock and an upset by Atwater High late in the season landed the Pride in fourth place of the CCC and out of CCC title or playoff contention. The Pride will lose twelve players by next season in what is sure to be a rebuilding year.
Hilmar High dropped its final game against rival Escalon High 82-39 Tuesday night. The relatively young Yellowjacket (4-8 TVL) team had difficulty containing Escalon's offensive attack and was outscored 38-27 in the first half. A twelve point second half guaranteed Hilmar's eighth conference loss in a season riddled with inconsistencies.
Hilmar hopes to fare better next season with a group of seasoned returners, notably freshman Demsen McFaddin who averaged 13.3 points a game and a season total of 359 points.
Turlock Chrisitan's boys basketball team lost its sixth straight game Thursday against Waterford High, 61-41. The Eagles (1-13 Southern) knew this season would be rough with only four seniors on the squad but were still disappointed to finish the year with only one conference win. TC, which averaged 10-15 less shots than its opponents per game, struggled with ball security and size. Although the Eagles are graduating five seniors, their two leading scorers, Chase Gonzalez and Thomas Sawyer, will be returning to join a varsity team bolstered by new talent from a JV team that finished 10-4.