The Bulldogs and Bruins finished the regular season tied for second place behind Lincoln in the San Joaquin Athletic Association.
Tracy (16-10, 7-3 SJAA) started the week at No. 13 in the Division II power ratings and needed to move up to land in the middle of the bracket.
The Bulldogs and Bruins (18-9, 7-3) played a close first quarter, but 3-point shots from senior guards Tammy Serrato and Karsi Fyfe in the second pushed the Bulldogs to a 24-18 halftime lead.
Fyfe hit two more 3-pointers in the third, and senior center Shelby Perry, the Bulldogs’ top scorer with 16, also hit a series of shots to give Tracy a 10-point lead midway through the period.
The Bruins stepped up the pace in the fourth, and the game became increasingly physical. Senior Shelby Devlin was in the middle of the fray as players wrestled over rebounds and jump balls.
“I got kind of beat up,” she said.
She said her team rose to the challenge.
“This was a huge one for us,” Devlin said. “There are a few things we still need to work on, but the intensity of this game and the heart that we have will get us ready for playoffs.”
The game could put Bear Creek out of the playoffs. The Bruins started the week at No. 16 in the Division I rankings, and the loss could be the difference between staying in the bracket or having to play an extra game to see the postseason.
The section releases the final brackets Wednesday, Feb. 13.
Teams with at least 15 wins that don’t make the top 16 in Divisions I to IV will play qualifier games for the final postseason spots Friday, Feb. 15. All other teams begin playoffs Feb. 19.
Tracy sophs win league
Tracy High’s sophomore girls basketball team finished the season as San Joaquin Athletic Association champions after they beat Bear Creek, 49-37. Toni Harrison led the Bulldogs (18-7, 10-0 SJAA) to the win with 18 points.
Coach Keith Britt the 12-point victory was the team’s 12th consecutive win. He expects most of the players, including 14 sophomores and one freshman, will carry that streak into next season as varsity players.
“Once again, we’ve got another class that will hopefully take the seniors’ spot,” Britt said. “This is our future.”
Kimball 49, Lathrop 39
Sophomore guard Allie Schmidt led the Jaguars girls basketball team Thursday, Feb. 7, with 15 points in a home win over Lathrop.
The Jaguars (17-8, 8-4 Valley Oak League) took a 30-21 lead at the half. Lathrop (9-16, 4-9) was unable to catch up.
The Jaguars maintain their hold on third place in the VOL, but has two more games — Saturday, Feb. 9, at Sonora and Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Weston Ranch — to determine if they can move up from No. 16 spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division II power ratings.
The Jaguars are assured of a qualifying game if they don’t make the top 16.
Stagg 48, West 46
The last game of the season for West High’s girls basketball team came down to the final seconds after the team overcame an early deficit and took a 46-44 lead with one minute, 30 seconds left.
But Stagg’s defense held up against the Wolf Pack (10-17, 1-9 Tri-City Athletic League), as the Delta Queens (13-14, 6-4) took the lead with six seconds on the clock and blocked West’s last-chance shot.
West led by junior Nini Woodward, who scored 12 points. Senior Emma Bell scored 11.
• Contact Bob Brownne at 830-4227 or brownne@tracypress.com.
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