Warriors Basketball
Lady Warriors Teagan Thurman #13 and Stephanie Suarez #23 look to grab the loose ball in
recent basketball action in Tehachapi. (Photo by The Tehachapi News.)
Posted by John Nelson, The Tehachapi News, on February 5, 2017 THS Girls Salvage Tough Hoops Week With Win at East
They started their week with high hopes and ended it by dashing the hopes of another team.
The Lady Warriors had three games left in their basketball season after beating a determined East team 53-39 on Friday, Feb. 3, as they kept alive their hopes for a winning South Yosemite League season.
They were 14-10 overall and 3-4 in the league, sitting third behind unbeaten Independence and once-beaten Ridgeview.
The victory was their second over East Bakersfield this season but was much more competitive than their first meeting.
“We faced a better prepared team this time,” coach Jaques Vachon said. “They put forth a challenge but fell apart when their leading scorer fouled out.”
Fiona Ferry led the Warriors with 18 points, followed by Teagan Thurman with 13 and Mady Cotta with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Alicia Johnson had 5 rebounds and Thurman 4.
The Warriors started their three-game week on Monday, Jan. 30, with a makeup game against Golden Valley, losing 72-70.
“We had high hopes, but we started the game slowly,” Vachon said.
By the third quarter, the Warriors trailed by 17, when Cotta and Ferry went on a tear that brought Tehachapi even. The lead changed hands several times in the final three minutes, “until we ran out of time and lost by 2,” Vachon said.
Cotta led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Ferry with 18. Stephanie Suarez and Johnson had 11 apiece.
Cotta also led in rebounds with 9, followed by Johnson with 8 and Thurman with 7.
“All in all, a great effort,” Vachon said.
Vachon said his team was a little flat for the Independence game the next night.
“We could not recover fast enough before we faced Independence,” he said. “We started the game without much emotion and quickly fell behind. … It was never close.”
Ferry led all scorers with 23 points, followed by Cotta with 15 and Thurman with 13. Teagan led the team with 7 rebounds.
The Warriors had three road games scheduled to close out their season — at Ridgeview on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at Golden Valley on Friday, Feb. 10, and at West on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The Warriors beat West 61-47 in their previous meeting.
The Warriors lost starting freshman guard Irey Sandholdt for two weeks with a sprained right ankle sustained in the game against Golden Valley.
Posted by John Nelson, The Tehachapi News, on February 5, 2017 Warriors Boys Prep For Tough Hoops Homestretch
Two weeks earlier, East Bakersfield had given the Warriors their first league victory of the season. Now, it was Tehachapi's turn to return the favor.
The Warriors lost at East 53-47 Friday night, Feb. 3, unable to hit their free throws down the stretch, as the Blades ended a four-game losing streak in the South Yosemite League.
“It was very disappointing,” coach Louie Saavedra said, “especially knowing that we had already defeated them earlier in the season. But this time, they were ready for us.”
The loss was Tehachapi's second in a row after starting the week on Monday, Jan. 30, at home with a 53-36 victory over Golden Valley in a makeup game.
After trailing 23-22 at halftime, the Warriors outscored Golden Valley 24-2 in the third quarter.
“We picked up the tempo and finished the second half very strong,” Saavedra said. “Our defense played very well.”
Jesus Sanchez led the Warriors with 17 points against Golden Valley. Ben Dayton had 12 points, and David Wheeler also was in double figures with 10.
The next night, the Warriors lost 59-23 at Independence, which would go on to lose a classic overtime battle to undefeated and first-place Ridgeview later in the week.
“It was a very tough loss for us,” Saavedra said. “We couldn't seem to get the basketball to fall. It was just one of those games.”
Garrett Snider led the Warriors scoring against Indy with 6 points, and Sanchez had 5.
Then came East.
“We beat them in every category except free throws,” Saavedra said, and that was more than enough to make the difference.
The Warriors shot just 48 percent from the free throw line for the game, making 14-of-29.
The loss dropped the Warriors to 3-5 in the SYL, 12-13 overall, going into the home stretch with three teams ahead of them in the standings — undefeated Ridgeview, once-beaten Independence and 4-3 West. They are the only three teams in the league with winning records, and Tehachapi still must face two of the three.
The good news for the Warriors was that two of their three remaining games were scheduled at home: Golden Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and Ridgeview on Friday, Feb. 10. They finish at West on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The Warriors will celebrate senior night against Ridgeview.
“We have to take this weekend off and come back Monday to regroup to face GV and a great Ridgeview team,” Saavedra said.
