Dinuba, Sanger boys basketball rally with strong home wins

Sanger High’s Kevin Chambers contorts as he goes up for a shot against Edison High Jayvon Joshua during the Apaches’ 65-47 County Metro Athletic Conference basketball victory on Jan. 18 at Nicholson Gym.

Dinuba High goalkeeper Bryan Baeza watches the ball before a teammate retrieves a shot on goal by Lemoore High during the Emperors’ 5-1 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 17.

Reedley High’s Raquel Cortez goes up for a shot during the Pirates’ 58-32 victory over Washington Union on Jan. 20 at Reedley High gym.

Dinuba High’s Rosario De La Cruz (7) sprints downfield on the dribble during the Emperors’ 1-1 tie with Lemoore High in a Jan. 17 West Yosemite League match at Dinuba High.

Dinuba High goalkeeper Bryan Baeza watches the ball before a teammate retrieves a shot on goal by Lemoore High during the Emperors’ 5-1 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 17.

Reedley High’s Alberto Villarreal sprints upcourt with the dribble during the Pirates’ 63-53 Tri-County Conference loss to Exeter High on Jan. 17.
DINUBA – The Dinuba High and Sanger High boys basketball teams faced early uphill climbs in their respective league basketball championship chases with two early losses, but both used their home courts to work back into contention.
Dinuba (19-3. 2-2 West Yosemite League) — stunned for a second time on the road following a 60-52 setback at Lemoore High on Jan. 18, grabbed command in the first half against Tulare Union High to post a 64-48 victory on Homecoming Night at Dinuba High gym. The Emperors got 19 points from Keine Prendez and 15 points from Javier Torres, and used a 28-11 run in the second quarter to bury the Tribe (6-16, 1-3)
Sanger, meanwhile, shook off losses to Bullard and San Joaquin Memorial to rack up County Metro Athletic Conference home wins over Edison High (65-47 on Jan. 18) and Garza High (60-19 on Jan. 20). The Apaches (14-8, 2-2) gained command in the first half of both games, and dominated the latter contest from the opening tip.
Both Dinuba and Sanger trail first place teams by two games, but have the opportunity to make up ground this week. The Emperors played at winless Mission Oak on Jan. 24, and then host Hanford (4-0 in league through Jan. 20) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26. After playing at Tulare Western on Feb. 1, Dinuba gets a rematch with Lemoore at home on Friday, Feb. 3.
In last week’s loss in Lemoore, Dinuba fell behind by 15 points after one quarter before rallying within nine points at halftime. But the Tigers (14-6, 4-0 through Jan. 20) built the lead to 11 points after three and held off a late Emperors push. Prendez led Dinuba with 14 points while Torres and Tariq Small added eight points apiece. Small also had 10 points against Tulare.
Sanger blew the game with Edison wide open thanks to a 26-9 domination in the third quarter that included a 10-0 run. Sanger shot 46 percent from the field and collected 19 assists and 12 steals. The Apaches buried Garza from the start, roaring out to a 35-6 halftime lead.
Eagles drop road contest to TCC-leading Panthers
Immanuel High fell to 1-3 in Tri-County Conference play with a pair of losses against top-level league opponents, including a 56-48 loss on Jan. 17 at first place Washington Union. The Eagles (8-13 overall) later lost 61-52 at home on Jan. 19 to Sierra Pacific.
Against Washington Union, the Eagles tied the game at 41-all in the fourth on a three-point basket by Mikah Tolpezninkas. But the Panthers collected 11 steals and forced Immanuel turnovers down the stretch. Tolpezninkas later scored 21 points five from 3-point range, in the loss to the Golden Bears.
Immanuel continued a stretch of games against TCC powers, playing at co-leader Hanford West on Jan. 25. The Eagles will host Selma (16-5, 1-2) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, before playing at Kingsburg on (10-0, 0-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Late rally against Exeter not enough for Pirates boys
At Reedley High on Jan. 17, the Pirates (2-21, 0-4) trailed by 25 points before roaring back and almost catching visitor Exeter High. But the Monarchs pulled away late for a 63-53 victory, and the Pirates then fell 63-33 at first place Washington Union on Jan, 19.
Reedley hosted Sierra Pacific on Jan. 25, then will travel to Visalia to play Central Valley Christian at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27.
Sanger West loses at Fresno Christian Showcase
Sanger West dropped to 2-20 in its first varsity season on Jan. 21, losing 60-47 to Liberty-Bakersfield (9-13) in the opening game of the Fresno Christian Showcase. Angad Doad had 23 points and 13 rebounds while Noah Maldonad had 14 points and three assists.
The Hornets resume North Yosemite League play this week with road games at Madera South (Jan. 25) and first place Roosevelt (Friday, Jan. 27) before returning home for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday, Jan. 31, against McLane.
Orange Cove splits opening ESL contests
Orange Cove (12-6, 1-1 East Sequoia League) splits its opening two contests last week, losing 63-50 at first place Corcoran on Jan. 18 and then outlasting visiting Strathmore 44-38 on Jan. 20. The Titans host Caruthers in a non-league game at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, and after visiting Granite Hills on Monday, Jan. 30, host Corcoran in a 6:15 p.m. rematch on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Immanuel runs win streak to six
Immanuel High ran its win streak to six games — three in Tri-County Conference play — and carried a 17-4 season record into a Jan. 24 home game against Reedley High to determine sole possession of the Sequoia Division top spot. The Eagles overpowered Central Valley Christian (59-18 on Jan. 18) and Exeter (50-20 on Jan. 20).
Dominating starts powered the Eagles, who jumped ahead 30-3 after one quarter and 44-4 at halftime at CVC. Against Exeter, the hosts led 21-2 after eight minutes and 35-6 at the halftime break. After the Reedley showdown, the Eagles play at Hanford West in a 6 p.m. tipoff Thursday, Jan. 26. Immanuel plays four of its last five games on the road.
Reedley wins third straight Tri-County game
Reedley High (8-12) split two games last week, but the Pirates still were able to extend their Tri-County Conference Sequoia Division win streak to three games. Following a 66-21 loss at home to Kings Canyon Division-leading Sierra Pacific on Jan. 18, Reedley overpowered Washington Union, 58-32, on Jan. 20.
The Pirates jumped to a 9-1 lead after one quarter, built the advantage to 28-11 at halftime and never looked back. Emily Pallesi scored seven of her game-high 18 points in the second, and Niana Holman scored 11 points including a pair of 3-pointers. Raquel Cortez and Ann Drolette scored eight and six points, respectively.
After the Immanuel game on Jan. 24, the Pirates return to Reedley High for a 6:30 p.m. TCC contest against Exeter.
Sanger collects road wins at Edison, Garza
Sanger High bounced back from two early County Metro losses by sweeping Edison and Garza on the road. The Apaches (12-10, 2-2) held off the Tigers by a 54-51 score on Jan. 17, then rode the strength of a dominating 26-6 second quarter to turn away the Guardians.
Sanger hosted Madera on Jan. 24, then will take on visiting Bullard High at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. The Apaches are looking to avenge a 55-33 road loss to the Knights suffered on Jan. 10.
Dinuba fritters away large lead in road loss
Dinuba High (11-9, 2-2 West Yosemite) roared out to a 12-0 lead after the opening quarter at Tulare Union on Jan. 20, and built the advantage to 19-5 at halftime. But the host Tribe roared back in the final 16 minutes to pull out a 36-32 victory.
Jalissa Espirito scored 11 points while Natalie Ramirez had eight points. On Jan. 18, Chloe Benham scored a game-high 17 points (including a pair of 3-pointers) while Espirito added 13 points in Dinuba’s 49-46 home win over Lemoore. The Emperors play at Hanford in a 6 p.m. start Thursday, Jan. 26, then play Bakersfield Christian at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Mission Oak Showcase in Tulare.
SOCCER
Sanger boys run CMAC win streak to four
Sanger High continued its red-hot play in the County Metro, collecting three more wins over San Joaquin Memorial (7-0 on Jan. 17), Garza (5-0 on Jan. 19) and Madera (3-2 on Jan. 21), During their four-match run, the Apache boys have outscored their CMAC opposition by 23-3.
Sanger (8-4-3, 4-1) hosted a big home match against NYL power McLane on Jan. 24, then are off a week before hosting Edison at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Apache girls collect draw, win on the road
Sanger’s girls played twice on the road last week, battling to a scoreless tie against Justin Garza High on Jan. 18 before cruising past Madera, 5-2, on Jan. 20. The Apaches (9-2-1, 3-0-1) can tighten their grip on first place in the CMAC with home matches against Bullard (Jan. 25) and San Joaquin Memorial (Friday, Jan. 27, 5 p.m.).
Sanger is unbeaten in its last six matches, with the Garza tie the only blemish.
Two big home wins for Dinuba boys
Dinuba High’s offense came to life last week, erupting for 10 goals in home wins over Lemoore and Tulare Union. The 5-1 win over Lemoore on Jan. 17 took place at Dinuba High, after being moved because the Tigers’ home field was still saturated from recent storms.
David Garcia scored two goals to lead the scoring while Juan Granados and Noel Romero added scores. On Jan. 20, the Emperors (9-8-2, 3-0-1 WYL) blanked visiting Tulare Union 5-0 as Garcia again scored two goals. Also finding the net were Granados, Nicholas Ruiz and Yovani Hernandez.
Dinuba played at first place Mission Oak on Jan. 24, then hosts Hanford in a 6 p.m. start Thursday, Jan. 26.
Reedley boys blank Sierra Pacific
A second half score was enough for Reedley High’s boys to pull out a 1-0 victory over Sierra Pacific in Tri-County Conference play on Jan. 19. It enabled the Pirates to remain unbeaten in conference play at 1-0-2, and improved their season mark to 8-6-3.
Reedley traveled to Hanford West for a non-league matchup on Jan. 23, then played at Washington Union on Jan. 25 before returning home Friday, Jan. 27, for a 6 p.m. TCC contest with Selma. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw in their first conference matchup on Jan. 11.
Dinuba girls have home tie, road loss
Dinuba High’s girls (9-7-2) fell to 0-3-1 in West Yosemite League action last week, settling for a 1-1 deadlock with Lemoore on Jan. 17 and then losing 3-2 at Tulare Union on Jan. 20. Freshman Alyssa Vasquez scored both Emperors goals in the loss, while Rosario De La Cruz scored the lone goal against Lemoore.
Dinuba plays at Hanford in a 6 p.m. start on Thursday, Jan. 26.
Wood gets hat trick in Immanuel girls win
Junior Allison Wood scored three goals to power Immanuel (13-5-2) to a 4-0 non-league win at Coalinga High on Jan. 19. Junior Ava Regier also scored for Immanuel, which dropped to 0-2-1 in Tri-County Conference play following a 4-1 loss at Selma on Jan. 18.
The Eagles hosted Reedley on Jan. 24. The Pirates (4-9-3, 0-1-2) battled to a 4-4 draw with Washington Union on Jan. 20. Freshman Kim Garcia had two goals, giving her nine on the season to share the team lead with freshman Real Morales.
WRESTLING
Dinuba’s Quintana wins 152-pound title in Gilroy
Dinuba High’s Nicholas Coen Quintana won all five matches to capture the 152-pound title at the MidCals Classic Tournament at Gilroy High on Jan. 21. The senior (16-1 on the season) posted two pins, a technical fall, majority decision and finally a 3-2 decision over Tuttle, Okla. High’s Shawn Rounsaville.
Other Emperors placewinners were junior Jesus Loreto (sixth at 145, 17-9 on the season), junior Ethan Garza (eighth at 106, 11-6). Junior Nicholas Cannen Quintana (eighth at 120, 14-8) and senior Jose Martinez (8th at 220, 18-11). Dinuba finished in seventh place in the team standings with 109 pounds.
Reedley 43rd, Sanger 44th at CIT in Morro Bay
Led by placewinners Demetrius Vargas (152 pounds) and David Arroyo (138), Reedley High finished 43rd out of 60 teams competing at the prestigious California Invitational Tournament in Morro Bay on Jan. 20-21.
Junior Vargas (24-8) won seven of nine matches, including a pin, settling for fourth place following a 4-0 loss to Patrick Roberts of Buchanan. Junior Arroyo (28-9) went 5-3 with two pins, losing a 3-0 decision to Matthew Luna of St. Francis in the fifth place match. Reedley scored 45 team points.
Sanger finished with 42 points, and was led by senior Robert Hart (20-9) who finished 2-2 at 195 pounds including two wins by pin. Emmanuel Salazar (13-8 at 160 pounds) also went 2-2 while Johnny Gonzalez (11-6 at 120), Brandon Gamino (16-8 at 120) and Tirso Jimenez (17-8, 170) all went 1-2.
Dinuba’s Morales wins 189 title at Lady Hawk Invite
Kaprise Morales (15-2) of Dinuba High captured the 189-pound championship at the Mission Oak Lady Hawk Invitational in Tulare on Jan. 20. The senior posted a 4-1 victory over Olivia Ruacho of Garza High.
Emperor teammate Naomi Jimenez (13-4) placed second at 160, losing by pin in the finals to Olivia Furlong from team champion Selma. Dinuba placed ninth out of 15 teams with 48 points.