Fans at Friday's league challenge between the Merced Bears (Merced, CA) and the visiting El Capitan Gauchos (Merced, CA), saw Merced's basketball squad wallop El Capitan by a tally of 59-24.

With the victory, Merced improves its record to 15-4 on the campaign. The Bears travel to Central Valley (Ceres, CA) to play the Hawks in a challenge on Monday, January 8. The Hawks come into the challenge with a record of 1-3.

Next up, the Gauchos play the Golden Valley Cougars (Merced, CA) in a challenge, on Wednesday, January 10. El Capitan will attempt to improve on its 0-9 season record.