Tracy High girls wanted to make their last game of the basketball season count on Thursday night, and brought determination and the momentum of the wins from the last two games to take the 37-33 win at home against Lodi.

“It was an intense game,” Tracy senior Tonta’ne Gilbert. “We knew we had to shut them down and keep them off the boards.”

It was that defense, as the Lady Bulldogs out-rebounded Lodi, that made up for Tracy’s missed shots at the start. Lodi started with the lead and held Tracy scoreless for the first five minutes. Tracy didn’t catch up until late in the second quarter, when a field goal from Gilbert and a couple free-throws moved Tracy into a 17-15 lead at the half.

They traded the lead back and forth through the third, and Karsi Fyfe hit a shot to put Tracy ahead at the start of the fourth. Lodi stayed within striking distance, and with Tracy leading 36-33, Lodi tried to tie it up with a three-point attempt with 12 seconds left. The shot bounced off the rim and Gilbert grabbed it, and was fouled in the process. She made a free-throw to make it 37-33. Lodi missed its last chance to take a shot when Arianna Grimes tipped the ball as Lodi brought it inbounds, and Elise Travis grabbed it and ran out the clock.

Gilbert led her team with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Stefanie Eubanks scored six and Fyfe and Elise Travis scored four each. Gilbert added that three wins in a row was a good way to end the year.

“The season had its ups and downs, but the last few games we came out and pulled it together,” she said.

Those wins will likely boost Tracy’s standing in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff picture, but Tracy coach Mike Granillo expects that the top 16 Sac-Joaquin Section teams that make the playoffs are likely to be from stronger leagues. For Tracy to move from 21st in the power ratings to 16th would mean that teams already in the top 16 would have to suffer significant losses in their last week of play.

McNair 66, West 35

While West’s girls took losses in their last two games, coach Steve Anastasio said the team showed improvement in the second half of the Tri-City Athletic League season. Thursday night’s game was close in the first half, and West (3-22, 1-8 TCAL) was able to take the lead partway through the second quarter.

By the third quarter McNair (22-5, 8-1 TCAL), which is vying for a home court advantage in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, began to outscore the Wolf Pack and hold back West’s shooters.

Leading West’s scoring effort was senior Stephanie Dyer with eight points. Brianna Estrada scored six and Lesley Baires, Jacqueline Jallornia and Nina Pritchett scored five each, Angela McKinney scored four and Danni Grimes scored two.

Anastasio said that the team has the potential to improve for next year, considering that only three players – Dyer, Jallorina and Tina Lorico – will graduate. Ten others are juniors and one is a sophomore, meaning that most of the starters will be back for the 2010-11 season.

Millennium 50, Mountain Oaks 15

The Falcon girls (14-11, 11-6 HCL/MVL) dominated every quarter Wednesday at Kimball High to lead 23-5 at the half and 50-15 at the end. Leading the Millennium team was Jaelyn Woods with 20 points, including four three-pointers. Brianna Murawski scored 10 and had six steals, and Marianna Gardea scored six, had 11 rebounds and four steals.

Sophomore girls: Lodi 40, Tracy 31

Lodi charged out to a 26-13 lead at the half but Tracy (12-14, 2-8 SJAA) got within six points by the end of the third quarter as the Bulldog defense held the Flames to just one three-point shot in the quarter.

Scoring leader for Tracy was Mika Mendoza with 11 points. Mariah Serrato scored eight and Monique Stevenson scored seven, while Araceli Lopez and Alana Miller scored two each and Jasmin Ordonez scored one.

Contact Bob Brownne at 830-4227 or brownne@tracypress.com.