Basketball Recap: West Ranch Comes Up Short

West Ranch's tournament run continued when they took on Bullard on Saturday. The contest between the West Ranch Wildcats and the Bullard Knights didn't end well, with the West Ranch Wildcats falling 71-55. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 465th, while the Knights are ranked 125th).

West Ranch has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season. As for Bullard, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-3.

West Ranch will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against St. Paul at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. St. Paul knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four games -- so hopefully West Ranch likes a good challenge. Bullard and Amador Valley will round out the year against one another at at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Bullard's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.