Rough night for local teams as Merced, Atwater boys bow out of basketball playoffs.
Oakmont pulled away in the second half to end the season for the Merced High boys basketball team with a 59-42 victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs on Friday night in Roseville.
The No. 12 seeded Bears (18-11) played the No. 5 Vikings tough in the first half, trailing just 30-27 at intermission. Sophomore Roman Buendia kept Merced close with his hot shooting in the first two quarters, scoring all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers.
Greg Dimapilis and Derek Lamb combined for 13 of the Vikings’ 15 third-quarter points as Oakmont (19-8) extended its lead to 45-31. Dimapilis scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter.
Lamb led all players with 19 points.
Merced was limited to just four points in the third quarter and 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Thao-Booth finished with 10 points for Merced.
Elk Grove 67, Atwater 44 — Like Merced, the No. 15 Falcons were hanging with the No. 2 Thundering Herd in the first half.
The game was tied at 16-all after the first quarter and Elk Grove led 31-25 at the half.
However, the Thundering Herd outscored Atwater 36 to 19 in the second half to pull away for the win.
The Falcons finished the season with a 19-9 record.
Elk Grove will host No. 7 Jesuit in the second round on Monday.
Girls Soccer
Vista Del Lago 6, El Capitan 0 — The Gauchos postseason run came to an end as the No. 1 seed flexed their muscle in a lopsided match.
The Eagles opened up a 3-0 lead in the first half and coasted to the victory.
It was El Capitan’s second time reaching the semifinals in three seasons.
Vista Del Lago will face No. 2 Christian Brothers in the section championship next week.
Merced Area Basketball Scores
Fortune Early College 84, Le Grand 37
Mariposa 67, Ben Holt College Prep 40
Boys Soccer Scores
Strathmore 3, Dos Palos 0
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 9:36 PM.
