ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Rivalries run deep in Colusa County and last Friday night’s contest was no exception when the Pierce girls’ basketball team entertained the visiting Colusa RedHawks in a Sacramento Valley League game.
Adding to the familiarity in the contest was that many of the girls play together on a local volleyball club team in addition to the two head coaches, Pierce’s Dustin King and Colusa’s Manuel Cano being friends.
Ironically, King although now coaching the Bears, hails from Colusa, while Cano a Pierce alum, is in his fourth season at the helm of the RedHawks.
Yet, none of that mattered following the tip off as both teams struggled through the first period missing opportunities to take control early.
However, in the second quarter the Bears settled down somewhat, outrebounding the RedHawks and finding some success with the outside shot to take a seven-point lead at the half.
Nonetheless, that momentum did not carry over to the third quarter as Colusa came out of the locker room and capitalized on three consecutive turnovers by the Bears to go on a 7-0 run and tie the score at 22 midway through the third period.
Once again though, Pierce was able to regain the advantage 35-31 as it readied itself for the final eight minutes.
In the ensuing battle, the RedHawks cut the lead to just two with over a minute remaining in the contest, but could get no closer as the Bears’ Rylie Delepierre accounted for Pierce’s final four points of the night.
Delepierre finished the contest with a game-high 20 points, while Destany Martinez went for 13 points.
For King, the outcome is indicative of his team’s progress that earlier in the season had been hindered by adversity.
“We’ve been trending up,” said King, who is set to receive a burrito from Cano after winning the friendly wager between the two. “Rylie and Jaslene (Condrey) have been the anchors, while Destany plays defense like a savage and has been another key for us after missing nine games with a concussion. Nita (Rodriguez) also makes a huge difference on the boards and Sofia (Hernandez) has stepped up despite continuing to recover from a broken finger.”
On the other hand, it was a disappointing loss for the RedHawks, who got an 18-point effort from Peyton Miller, but not more than six points from anyone else in the lineup.
This week, Pierce (9-11, 3-1) welcomed Durham to town on Jan. 20 before traveling to Trowbridge to face East Nicolaus on Jan. 22, while Colusa (7-11, 1-3) was in Willows on Tuesday, entertained Woodland Christian on Wednesday and is back on the road tonight in Winters.