The Ceres Bulldogs entered their tilt with the Johansen Vikings with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Ceres snuck past the Vikings with a 49-43 victory on Tuesday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Ceres also won the last time the pair played back in January.
Ceres' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Marissa Renteria led the charge by scoring 14 points along with seven steals and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Arrayah Stallworth, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Johansen lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Bethany Albarran, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 48.8% of Johansen's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jamie Zarilla, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and six steals.
Ceres' win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-7. As for Johansen, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 13-12.
Ceres has the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome the Tigers at 7:15 p.m. on February 1st. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in California (Los Banos is ranked 459th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 451st). Johansen is on the road again on Thursday and plays the Spartans at 7:15 p.m. on February 1st. Lathrop will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
