Fans at Friday's non-league challenge between the Escalon Cougars (Escalon, CA) and the host Merced Bears (Merced, CA), saw Escalon's basketball squad hold off Merced by a count of 47-43.

With the victory, Escalon upgrades its record to 7-0 on the campaign. The Cougars travel to Orestimba (Newman, CA) to play the Warriors in a non-league challenge on Tuesday, December 12. The Warriors come into the challenge with a record of 3-4. Orestimba lost 54-34 in their recent non-league challenge against Sierra (Manteca, CA)

Next up, the Bears play the Los Banos Tigers (Los Banos, CA) in a non-league challenge, on Monday, December 11. Merced will attempt to upgrade on its 6-3 season record. The Tigers come into the challenge with a 4-1 record after their 50-19 non-league win over Livingston (Livingston, CA).