Boys:
Princeton 86 – Surprise Valley 64 (2/15)
Runner-up in the Northern Section’s Division VII for the past two years, the No. 1 seeded Eagles took their first step towards a return trip to the championship game with an 86-64 victory over No. 9 Surprise Valley in a second round playoff matchup at home last Thursday night.
Two seniors recorded double-doubles on the way to the win with Junior Andrade dropping 38 points and dishing out 10 assists, while Corwyn Roberson finished the night with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Princeton (22-1) hosted No. 4 Chester on Feb. 20 with the winner heading to the title game on Feb. 24 at Butte College.
Pierce 53 – Winters 54 – OT (2/14)
No. 8 Pierce suffered a heart-breaking overtime loss at home last Wednesday night effectively bringing an end to their season in the first round of the Northern Section CIF Division IV playoffs.
A back and forth contest throughout, the Bears held a narrow 25-24 advantage at the half and went on a 7-0 run to start the third, but No. 9 Winters hung around and eventually forged ahead with 3:54 remaining in the game.
Nonetheless, after the Warriors extended the advantage to five points, Pierce rallied furiously with Drew Burnum cutting the lead to 48-45, before Alfonso Orozco drained a three from the corner to tie the score.
Then, with five seconds remaining in regulation, the Bears had a chance to win it outright, but turned the ball over on the ensuing trip down the court.
In extra time, Pierce went cold, not scoring for nearly three minutes, although Gavin Guynn gave the Bears a chance after a steal and a basket.
It was not to be, however, as Pierce did not get back on defense, allowing the Warriors an open layup, which proved to be the game winner.
Orozco and Burnum both finished the game with 12 points, while Guynn contributed nine points and six rebounds.
Rodney Hofhenke provided a lift off the bench with nine points and Tony Maldonado chipped in with eight for the Bears who ended the year with an overall record of 11-18.
Maxwell 41 – Etna 36 (2/13)
Maxwell 32 – Redding Christian 56 (2/16)
In Northern Section CIF Division VI action, No. 5 Maxwell knocked off No. 4 Etna on the road to start last week, but ultimately fell to No. 1 Redding Christian in the semifinal round.
The Panthers, who finished the season 12-15 overall, did not provide statistics.
Girls:
Pierce 41 – Orland 50 (2/13)
No. 9 Pierce saw its season come to an end in Orland against the No. 8 seeded Trojans last week.
Although no statistics were made available, the Bears (13-15), a team that featured just one senior, look to have a bright future in the coming years.
Maxwell 22 – Fall River 63 (2/13)
Seeded No. 6, the Panthers got off to a rough start in McArthur last Tuesday evening and never recovered as they were ousted from the Northern Section CIF Division VI playoffs by No. 3 Fall River.
No other information about the game was provided by Maxwell, who concluded the season with an overall record of 9-9.