Seeding for the CIF state playoffs in soccer and basketball was not kind to either the Williams boys’ soccer team or the two Pierce basketball squads, as each suffered first round losses.
Fresh off their NSCIF section championship win, the Yellowjackets received the No. 8 seed in the state tournament, pitting them against No. 1 Leadership (Hayward) in a Division V match in Oakland on March 1, where they fell 8-1.
No statistics were made available by the ‘Jackets, who finished the year 17-3.
As the NSCIF Division IV runner-up, the No. 14 Pierce boys were in Galt last Tuesday night, facing No. 3 Liberty Ranch, and, after shooting just 23 percent from the floor, saw their season end with a 57-32 loss to the Hawks.
In their final game for the Bears, Bryce Murphy finished with a team-high nine points, while Daniel Salud and Guillermo Jauregui added seven and five points, respectively.
The Sacramento Valley League champion Bears ended the season 20-10.
Playing at Del Oro High School in Loomis, also on March 1, the No. 10 Lady Bears found themselves down just three points to No. 7 Placer after two quarters, but were outscored 27-8 in the second half and ultimately suffered a 57-35 defeat.
Jocelyn Medina, the second leading scorer in the state, pumped in a game-high 26 points, but unfortunately for Pierce, was limited to just three in the second half, as Placer made a defensive adjustment at halftime that held her in check.
On the season, the Lady Bears were 22-8 overall and unbeaten in the Sacramento Valley League.■