The Ceres Bulldogs were the 75-72 winner over the Lathrop Spartans when they last played one another on January 3rd, but their luck changed this time around. Ceres took a 67-59 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lathrop on Monday. Ceres has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why Ceres lost, one person who can't be blamed is Manuel Ortega. Despite the final result, he scored 25 points along with seven rebounds. Ortega is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Carey Mastin, who scored seven points along with ten assists and three steals.
Lathrop's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Raymond Carson led the charge by scoring 23 points along with seven rebounds. Robert Ellis was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with two steals.
Ceres' loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-8. As for Lathrop, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-14.
Ceres will be playing at home against Beyer at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Beyer knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three games -- so hopefully Ceres likes a good challenge. As for Lathrop, they will head out on the road to take on Pacheco at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Pacheco is on a three-game streak of home losses, Lathrop a four-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change.
