Atwater girls defeat Tracy, advance past first round of playoffs for first time since 1995
The Atwater High girls basketball team was in a celebratory mood on Thursday night and for good reason.
The players jumped up and down, screamed and yelled as they gathered after No. 6 Atwater defeated No. 11 Tracy 71-52 in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.
It’s the first time the Falcons have advanced to the second round of the playoffs since 1995.
Atwater coach JR Davis was doused with ice water in the Falcons locker room after picking up the elusive first-round victory in his 12 years as the Atwater coach.
The Falcon’s only postseason win since 1995 was an outbracket win against Central Valley in 2017.
“It’s been a while,” said Davis, whose team improved to 21-7. “I told the girls if we didn’t win this time I was going to have to turn in my whistle.”
Senior Jordyn Allison gave the Falcons a boost early, scoring 13 of her game-high 26 points in the first quarter.
Allison was the right player in the right spot, converting on shots close to the basket.
Tracy (19-9) couldn’t handle the Falcons’ full-court press early.
The Bulldogs struggled to get the ball past half court against the constant pressure from the Atwater guards and Allison defending the player taking the ball out of bounds.
The Falcons jumped out to a 21-3 lead as Atwater turned turnovers and steals into easy baskets.
“We get so many steals and so many points off of our press,” Allison said. “You can tell when we’re not in the press we play slower. When we’re in the press we’re faster and we play with more energy. Those steals and points make us play faster.”
The Falcons stretched the lead to 36-15 at the half and extended the lead to 51-19 midway through the third quarter before Davis called off the press and started removing some of his starters.
Tracy responded by closing the third quarter with a 13-0 run that cut the deficit to 51-32.
The Atwater starters returned in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs pulled within 56-42 with 3:56 left, but the game was never in doubt.
Senior Mariela Fernandez added 20 points for the Falcons with the help of four 3-pointers. Fellow senior Aliene Lopez added 11 points.
Atwater will travel to Loomis on Monday to face No. 3 Del Oro, which defeated No. 14 Yuba City 74-38 on Thursday.
“This feels so good,” Allison said. “JR has been talking about this ever since I can remember. For us to go undefeated in winning the (Central California Conference) and now getting our first playoff win. He’s really proud of us.”
Los Banos 53, West Campus 33 — The No. 6 seeded Tigers coasted to a win in their first home playoff game in program history.
Senior Anissa Sanchez drained four 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 16 points. Sophomore American Ordunez added 13 points and senior Emely Guzman chipped in with 11 points for the Tigers (23-5).
Los Banos will travel to No. 3 East Union for a second-round matchup on Monday. The Lancers defeated Pioner 69-31 on Thursday.
Other local scores:
Laguna Creek 77, Buhach Colony 32
Los Banos 53, West Campus 33
Mariposa 35, Aspire Langston Hughes Academy 29
Millennium 42, Gustine 40
