Warrior Basketball
Scoring two on this first-quarter layup, Warrior Christian Torres finished the game with 12 points. The Tehachapi varsity basketball
team defeated Wasco, 65-48, on Friday, Feb. 5, to improve the Warrior's SSL record to 6-0. Photo by Michael Duffy, The Tehachapi News
Posted by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News, on February 9, 2010 Changing of the Guard
Warriors Derail Defending SSL Champs
The Warriors knew how important the week was for league championship implications.
Fittingly, the excitement and anticipation started with a big game against Bakersfield Christian, the two-time reigning SSL champions.
After a 67-63 thrilling win on the road against the Eagles, Tehachapi (17-6; 6-0 SSL) has laid claim that a new league champion could be crowned on the near horizon.
"They've been the top team in our league the last couple seasons, and they’re a tough team at their house," said head coach Chris Olofson. "It was a big win for us, an important win. It was the first time that we've ever beaten them at home."
Since joining the South Sequoia League, Bakersfield Christian took a road loss to Tehachapi in 2007 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, but since then has defeated the Warriors in five-straight league meetings.
The close win was wrapped up with solid free throw shooting down the stretch, with mountain basketball marinating their slim lead with a 9-14 performance from the charity stripe in the game’s final four minutes.
"We shot great at the end, when you have close games like this against two good teams, free throw shooting is so important," added Olofson.
In other games this past week, Tehachapi also defeated Wasco (65-48) and Shafter (71-63), giving them at least a two-game buffer in the overall league standings with four games remaining.
Jordan Beardsley finished with 48 points in the three games, while Christian Torres had 41 points, Dougan Patience 35 points, Cory Lange with 33 points and Robert Siegmund 20 points.
Other high scorers in the three contests combined came from Corey Torres with 16 points, Levi Garrett with six points, and Travis Farewell, Matt Santos and Conrad Mattly each with two points.
"We have to face off against BCHS again (this Tuesday) and play all these same teams again," Olofson said. "Everyone will be gunning for us. We'll need to be ready."
Posted by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News, on February 9, 2010 Lady Warriors Steamroll in League Play
In a crucial title-deciding week in basketball, the Lady Warriors have asserted themselves as the team to beat in the South Sequoia League.
Taking down Bakersfield Christian (40-36) and Wasco (51-29), the week was also highlighted with a pivotal win over Shafter, 51-43.
Mountain basketball handed the Generals their first league loss on the season and maintained their undefeated SSL record.
"It's tough to play back-to-back games like we did, and overall we were pleased with the results," said coach Mark Bennett. "We still have things we want to work on but our girls did a great job in each game."
In the big win over Shafter, the Lady Warriors pushed the Generals back to 5-1 in the title standings. Tehachapi (14-7; 6-0 SSL) is officially the league leader with four regular season games to go.
"A lot of teams are (full-court) pressing us, and our girls are doing what they need to do to limit the turnovers," added Bennett. "Especially against Shafter, we didn't have one turnover on the press break, and it opened up our offense."
Persephonie Devereaux had a big week for the Warriors with 37 points and 43 rebounds, recording a double-double against Shafter and Wasco.
Paige Bennett also had a solid week with 17 points, 10 rebounds, six steals, five assists and two blocks, while Amanda Viselli had 19 points, five assists and four steals in three games.
Alyssa Cowee joined Devereaux as a force in the paint, finishing her week with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Single game highlights included Rachel Duff with four points, five rebounds, and a steal, assist, and block against Shafter, Hannah Ricker with three points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal against Wasco and Kayley Duxbury with four points, two steals and an assist against Wasco.
Summer Schwecke was the difference maker at Shafter, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist, while Mackenzie Eberle had five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block over Wasco.
"We have a lot of talent on our team and we just try and take one game at a time," Bennett said. "We're happy to be in first right now, but we have to maintain and finish out."
