The Tracy High varsity boys basketball team’s second game of the Harlan Carter Tournament in Redding was much like its first. The Bulldogs stayed close to Shasta High with tough defense Friday night, but in the end, Tracy’s shots didn’t drop.

“We played a great defensive game, but had a very difficult time scoring, ourselves,” said Tracy head coach Paul Demsher.

Aggressive play kept the Bulldogs (1-2) in the game through the first three quarters, but Shasta pulled away in the fourth with a 19-point scoring burst.

Nate Brown’s 13 points — including a 3-pointer — paced Tracy’s offense. Stephen Memory turned in another solid game with a nine-point performance, and B Hamilton chipped in six points.

But the scoring didn’t come easily, Demsher said, as Tracy failed to capitalize on its opportunities.

It didn’t help that Shasta also repeatedly converted on foul shots, converting 15-of-22 from the line compared to Tracy’s 7-of-9 effort.

The Bulldogs get the chance to end the tournament on a high note 11 a.m. today against Ashland, a team that traveled across the Oregon-California border for the tourney.

“Hopefully, we can get some balls to go in the bucket,” Demsher said. “We’re playing hard and we’re playing good solid defense, but we have to convert some baskets.”

(S) Shasta 64, Tracy 40

The Tracy High sophomore boys basketball team lost to Shasta on Friday night in the second round of the Harlan Carter Tournament in Redding.

It was a rough game for the Bullpups.

“Defensively, we were getting beat, and offensively having trouble running plays,” Tracy coach Paul Pedersen said. “We just need practice. It’s early in the season and we’re playing games when we can’t make adjustments in between games.”

Statistics were not available.

The Bullpups hope to end their tournament run with a win today against Eureka High in a game scheduled for 11 a.m.

“(Our players) are hungry to get back on the winning track,” Pedersen said.