Atwater girls drop into three-way tie for final playoff spot
The Atwater High School girls basketball team has put itself in a spot where it can’t afford any more hiccups.
After losing 50-46 to Pitman on Thursday night at the Nest, the Falcons (16-7, 3-4 Central California Conference) are tied with Turlock and Merced for third place and the final playoff spot with three games to go.
“We have to win out or it’s going to be tough,” said Atwater coach J.R. Davis.
Pitman (14-6, 5-2) used a 12-4 run early in the second quarter to surge ahead, and Atwater could never catch up.
The teams played to a 12-12 draw during a fast-paced first quarter that saw both teams come out in a full-court press.
The Falcons’ offense struggled in the second quarter, committing nine turnovers and making just 4 of 15 shots from the floor.
The Pride took advantage, as Cerah Moren scored five points in the quarter to help Pitman open up a 28-20 lead by the half.
Moren hurt the Falcons in transition as she turned steals into points or grabbed a long rebound and raced down the court for a layup. The junior guard led Pitman with 19 points.
“She’s a track star,” Pitman coach Dustin Curtiss said. “She runs track a lot, and it’s starting to work out for her. As a sophomore, she struggled to slow down when she got to the basket. She’s figured it out.”
Pitman extended the lead to as high as 10 points, but the Falcons never went away. Atwater closed the deficit to four points three times in the second half, but could never manage to get closer.
Alondra Ponce scored a season-high 25 points to go along with 15 rebounds to help keep the Falcons in the game. She scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the second half.
Outside of Ponce, Atwater just couldn’t knock down shots. The Falcons made just 19 of 75 shots from the floor.
“I feel like we just panic and throw up shots,” Davis said. “Alondra played her best game of the year. She likes to settle for shots, but I told her to go to the basket, and I felt she did that tonight.”
Ponce felt the team lacked the focus they needed in a crucial game.
“We’re supposed to treat every game like it’s a playoff game, and I don’t think we were focused enough,” Ponce said. “We didn’t fight as hard as we should have tonight. We panic. We know what we’re supposed to do in those situations. We practice those close-game situations in practice, but our practice doesn’t carry over to the games.”
Heaven Mazon added eight points and six rebounds for the Falcons and Brittany Massa chipped in with nine rebounds.
It was a big win for the Pride coming off a tough loss at home on Tuesday night to Golden Valley.
“The girls took that loss pretty tough,” Curtiss said. “They really wanted to win that one and obviously we didn’t get it done. It’s important for this group of seniors to make the playoffs. It was nice to come here and get this win on the road against a team that’s nipping at your heels in the standings.”
Golden Valley 59, Buhach Colony 36 in Merced – Stephanie Moore scored 19 points as the Cougars won their 17th consecutive conference game and extended their current winning streak to 10 games this season.
Kayla Commons added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Naomi Peterson chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds for Golden Valley (20-4, 7-0 CCC).
Kaelee Lynch led the Thunder with 15 points.
Livingston 49, Ceres 33 in Ceres – Freshman Annie Winton led the Wolves with 14 points and Sharn Sahota added 11 as Livingston improved to 15-8 overall and 7-1 in the Western Athletic Conference.
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Atwater girls drop into three-way tie for final playoff spot."