The Bulldogs (7-8, 1-0 SJAA) claimed the 73-46 victory at Tracy High's Swenson Gym over the Franklin Yellowjackets (4-11, 0-1 SJAA) as the ‘Dogs took the lead early in the first quarter and stayed ahead the entire game.
Tracy held a 15-7 lead at the end of the first, and the Yellowjackets got within four points a couple times in the second quarter. By the end the Franklin team was missing its passes, Tracy’s defense prevailed on rebounds, and the Yellowjackets couldn’t make any shots from the floor in the fourth quarter.
“It’s always nice to start league with a win, especially on a Wednesday with nobody in the gym,” Tracy coach Paul Demsher said, adding that the way the team played Friday against West High in front of a huge crowd showed that the Bulldogs have a fast-paced game in them. “One of the things I told my guys is, ‘You bring the same energy that you brought last Friday night on a Wednesday night you’ll be in a good position.’”
After a slow start to the season Tracy has now won six of its last eight games, and Friday’s upcoming game in Stockton against the SJAA’s defending champs from Lincoln High will determine if Tracy can take the advantage going into the league season.
“Tonight we wanted to make a transition from pre-season to regular season and we felt that everybody needed to step up their play,” senior forward Daryl Dancy said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time.”
It turned out to be another good night for senior guard Mychal James. It was his third game back after he missed the first half of the season because of a non-basketball injury. Accurate shooting helped him log 20 points for the Bulldogs.
“It feels really great to be back. I missed basketball,” he said. “I’m just trying to put in more work, play harder and help my team as much as I possibly can, and if that’s scoring then that’s what I’m going to do.”
He added that the team’s performance gives him confidence about the rest of the season.
“I think we’re going to do very well in league. We’re trying for 10-0. We want to win first. We want to win the title for our section. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Other top scorers for Tracy were Dancy with 16 points and Tyler Black with 11. T.J. Williams scored seven points and collected 12 rebounds.
West 60, Tokay 54
West High’s varsity boys opened their Tri-City Athletic League season Wednesday with a 60-54 win at Tokay High in Lodi. The Wolf Pack (12-6, 1-0 TCAL) faced Tokay (2-14, 0-1 TCAL) with team West’s leading scorer, Jordan Richardson, out for most of the game.
“They’re a scrappy team, and they controlled the tempo in the first half,” West coach Derek Sprecksel said. “We picked up the tempo in the third quarter.”
Tokay held a 27-24 lead at the half, but West made it 45-35 game at the end of the third. Sprecksel said the Wolf Pack’s points in the second half came from Anthony Nzessi, who scored 14 for the night. Patrick Phillips was West's leading scorer with 19 points, Robert Mason and Aston Majors scored seven each, and Darlington Brown scored six.
“It was nice to see the big guys step up,” Sprecksel said.
West’s first big TCAL test comes on Friday, when the Pack travels to Stockton to face the Rams at St. Mary’s High.
Sophomores: Franklin 48, Tracy 41
Franklin took a 19-15 lead into the half against Tracy (4-11, 0-1 SJAA), but the Bulldogs tied it up 19-19 early in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets quickly took the lead back and held it for the rest of the game. The third quarter that saw both teams score more in one quarter than they scored in the entire first half. Tracy stayed in the game on a string of shots from Ryan Black, Kyle Scornaienchi and Justin Phelps late in the third to get within one point before Franklin pulled away for good.
Scornaienchi was Tracy’s leading scorer with 13 points, Black scored 12, Cameron Gable scored six and Phelps and Jordan Jones each scored five.
Sophomore boys: Tokay 41, West 27
The Tokay Tigers had a 20-8 lead at the half against a Wolf Pack team that was missing some of its top scorers Wednesday. West (8-7) started to make a comeback in the third quarter and got as close as eight points, but the team couldn’t maintain its momentum. Justin Saar scored 10 points for West, and Chris Daye scored eight.
Freshmen: Franklin 53, Tracy 50
Tracy (2-10) started off playing a close game against the Yellowjackets, with Luke Hanna hitting a couple three-point shots to keep it tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. Franklin had a 26-24 lead at the half and pulled ahead in the third quarter. Tracy responded in the fourth with shots from Leamond Biggers and Clayton Robles, but was three points short at the end. Robles and Chris Sonderman scored 13 points each, Bruce Russell and Luke Hanna scored nine each and Biggers scored seven.
Freshmen: West 42, Tokay 19
West’s freshmen (9-5) were already on their way to a win in the first half after they outscored Tokay 16-2 in the first quarter. Coach Tom McGoldrick said his backup players took over in the second quarter and played through the second half. Hayden Ordone scored 12 for West, Kenny Silva scored eight, Ernest Turner and Abraham Graham each scored seven and Obrein Nnaji and Keyano Fiel each scored two.
Freshman girls: McNair 61, Kimball 21
The McNair Eagles held the Jaguar freshmen (1-1 TCAL, 8-6) to just two points in the first quarter Wednesday at McNair, and even though Kimball hit more of its shots later on, the Jaguars couldn’t keep up. Toni Juarez scored seven points and made seven steals for Kimball, Aubrey Snyder scored six and had seven rebounds, and Sara Searle scored six and had eight rebounds.
Thursday Varsity girls: Lincoln 62, Tracy 19
Lincoln’s buried Tracy’s offense under its full-court press Thursday in Stockton. The Trojans took a 35-10 lead at the half and kept up the pace in the third and fourth quarters.
“Their pressure definitely dominated the game,” Tracy coach Mike Granillo said. “We had trouble handling the ball and had a lot of turnovers.”
Leading scorer for Tracy (1-1 SJAA, 6-11) was Stefanie Eubanks with six. Christina Martinez scored five, and Sahar Osmani, Stephanie Diaz, Tonta’ne Gilbert and Elise Travis each scored two.
Varsity girls: St. Mary’s 93, West 12
West’s girls (2-16) lost their second league game to the St. Mary’s girls in Stockton on Thursday as the Rams dominated another local team.
Haleigh Taylor, Shavonte Smothers, Nina Pritchett, Danni Grimes, Tina Lorico and Analisa Green all got through to score for West.
Again this year, St. Mary’s will play its Tri-City Athletic League rivals just once and fill out the rest of its schedule with the competition it is more likely to face on its way to state championship play.
St. Mary’s is the California Interscholastic Federation Division III defending state champion, and most of the girls from the 2008-09 team, who were juniors last year, are back again this year.
The Rams are 13-1 this year, with their only loss to Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista, the defending CIF Division IV champion. Mater Dei beat St. Mary’s 66-60 in the championship game of the Nike Tournament of Champions Joe Smith bracket last month in Phoenix.
Varsity girls: Millennium 55, Tioga 30
Millennium’s girls (4-1 HCL, 7-6) controlled their home game at the Tracy Boys and Girls Club from the start Thursday as they took a 35-14 lead at the half.
Treasure Edwards led the Falcons with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and Essence White scored 10, pulled down nine rebounds and had four steals. Ashourina Haynes scored eight and had nine rebounds, and Aveneet Gill scored four and had five rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Sophomore girls: Lincoln 59, Tracy 22
Lincoln’s girls shut down Tracy’s offense in the first quarter, allowing Tracy (1-1 SJAA, 10-7) just one free throw, as the Trojans built up a 39-7 halftime lead. Lincoln backed off in the second half, though, and Tracy outscored the Trojans in the fourth quarter.
Mariah Serrato scored 11 and had two steals, Monique Stevenson and Araceli Lopez scored four each, Loran Saenz had 12 rebounds and Mika Mendoza had seven rebounds.
Sophomore boys: McNair 39, Kimball 29
The Jaguars (8-8) and Eagles played a back-and-forth first half Thursday at McNair High in Stockton. Kimball’s shooters went cold in the second half as the Eagles pulled ahead. Leading scorer for Kimball was Joe Walls with 15, and Chandler Alves and Alex Toledo scored four each.
Freshman girls: Tracy 38, Lincoln 10
Tracy’s freshmen (2-0 SJAA, 17-1) kept up their winning streak with a 38-10 victory over Lincoln. Tammy Serrato scored 15 for Tracy, Shelby Perry scored 10, and Emily Anchartechahar and Shelby Devlin scored six each.
Freshman boys: McNair 48, Kimball 35
Kimball’s freshman boys went on the road Thursday to face the Eagles at McNair High. The Jaguars (12-2) came out flat, scoring only four points to the Eagles’ 21. Kimball picked up its pace in the second quarter and went on to outscore McNair in the second half, but it had already fallen too far behind to close in on the victors.
Derek Van Destrek scored 10 for Kimball, and Nathan Van Katwyk and Millard Q. Hampton each scored eight.
Tuesday Varsity boys: Millennium 80, Stockton Christian 33
Millennium’s boys took an 80-33 win at the Tracy Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday. Asad Khan led the Falcon team with 20 points, six assists and four steals. Freddy Brindopke and Steven Percelle scored 12 each, and Percelle had five rebounds and four steals, and Kiley Duncan scored 10 points and had five steals.
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