Sports 2/9/11

Varsity boys hoping to make playoffs

By Griselda Lizarde and Ben Coonrod
Sports Reporters

The Grizzlies have found themselves in a hole with three losses in the past four games.

The varsity boys lost to the Westwood Lumberjacks, 72-59, on Jan 28. The Lumberjacks started off the game with great scoring and tight defense, holding the Grizzlies to seven points in the first quarter. The momentum of the Grizzlies changed in the second quarter as their shots starting falling. They managed to win the quarter and cut the lead to nine going into the half.

Westwood continued to fight in the game and started off the second half with quick buckets to build onto the lead. The Grizzlies fought back with a few of their own to keep the game close and scored 13 three-pointers overall as a team in the game. Loyalton outscored the Lumberjacks in the fourth quarter however the Lumberjacks sealed the win. Zach Parker led all scorers with 18; Kendall Gunier scored 13.

Loyalton lost to the Quincy Trojans, 61-41, Jan 31. Both teams played with a lot of intensity to start out the game and stayed very close through the first quarter, with both teams making their stand defensively. The momentum of the game changed as the second quarter rolled on, and Quincy built a comfortable lead going into half, 35-18.

The Grizzlies could not find a rhythm to start the second half; the Trojans continued to attack the Grizzlies’ defense hard in the paint. The Trojans were too much to handle toward the end of the game and left the Grizzlies with a hard loss. Rickie DeVany and Connor Thompson led the team in scoring with 13 points each.

The varsity boys defeated the Greenville Indians, 67-39, on Feb. 4. The Grizzlies stunned the Indians in the first quarter with a dominant offensive game, putting up 26 points in the first quarter. The Indians picked it up in the second quarter and cut the lead to 14 points going into the half.

Loyalton started out the second half with equal intensity from the game. The momentum shifted to defense as the Grizz held Greenville to only five points in the whole quarter. The Grizzlies finished off the game with the best margin of victory all season. Thompson led all scorers with 16 and Ryan Funk scored 13.

On Tuesday night the Grizzlies lost to the American Christian Eagles, 68-50. The Grizzlies started off the game at a very fast pace. The offense of the Grizzlies left the Eagles stunned as they quickly found themselves in a quick 11- point deficit. The Eagles picked up the defense in the second quarter and the Grizzlies lost the lead and went into the half down by two points.

The Grizzlies straightened up in the second half and started off with smart decisions that won them the lead back by eight points. The Eagles picked up the defense, making it hard for the Grizzlies to get shots up. The lead was now back in the favor of the Grizz by a point to start the final period. The Eagles took full advantage of the game and held the Grizzlies to only two free throws in the quarter. They did not look back and took a comfortable 18-point win. Parker led the team with 16 points; Thompson followed with 13.

The JV boys played the Westwood Lumberjacks at home for Winterfest on Jan 28. The first quarter ended 12-7 with the Grizzlies in the lead, and the first half ended 26-13 with the Grizz up. The third quarter ended 32-19 and the final score was 40-27, with the JV boys nabbing the only Winterfest game of the night. The high scorers of the games were Joe Peterman with 12 and Shawn McGee with 10

The JV boys beat the Quincy Trojans on Jan. 31. The first quarter ended 12-3 with the Grizz pulling ahead and the first half ended 27-7 with the Grizzlies up. The Grizzlies came out strongly in the third quarter, ending 41-10, and the game ended 48-15. The high scorers of the game were Tyler Davis with 14 and Peterman and Grandi with eight.

The Grizzlies beat Chester Volcanoes on Feb. 4. The first quarter ended 13-8 with the Grizz down by five and the first half ended 20-18 with the Grizzlies trailing by two. The third quarter ended 28-31with the Grizzlies down and the with a nail biting finish, 40-39. with the Grizzlies winning the game. The high scorers of the game were Grandi and Peterman both with 14 and Davis with eight.

Varsity bounces back from loss

By Connor Thompson and Tommy Ketchum

The varsity girls have gone 3-2 in the past two weeks.

First, the lady Grizz lost to the Westwood Lumberjacks, 59-45, on Jan. 28 at home. The girls started off strongly, taking an early 11-2 lead; however, the Lumberjacks built momentum and cut the lead down to four at the end of the first quarter. The Grizzlies’ scoring attack slowed down in the second quarter, as they were only held to nine points, and the Lumberjacks outscored the Grizz, 15-9, in the second quarter, taking a two-point lead going into halftime. The Grizzlies never gained their momentum back, as the Lumberjacks maintained their lead through the second half leading them to victory. Only four players for the Grizzlies scored. Griselda Lizarde led the team with 19 points followed by Meghan Gressel and Hannah Redding each with 12.

The Grizzlies lost to the Quincy Trojans, 55-42, on Jan. 31 in Quincy. The first quarter held a lot of intensity, as both teams started with great offense; however, the Trojans held a slim lead and carried their momentum to take a 12-point lead going into halftime. The Trojans’ offensive kept up their success throughout the third quarter, and the Grizzlies defense couldn’t slow down the Trojans.  However, the Grizzlies managed to outscore the Trojans in the fourth quarter, but the lead was too insurmountable to overcome. The Grizzlies only had three scorers in the game. Lizarde led the team with 21 points followed by Redding with 18.

The lady Grizz beat the Downieville Warriors, 35-19, on Feb. 1 at home. The Grizzlies played great defense throughout the whole game, since the Warriors’ highest scoring quarter was the fourth, with only six points. The offensive attack for the Grizzlies was excellent, outscoring the Warriors every quarter. Lizarde and Gressel led the team with 12 points each.

The varsity girls beat the Greenville Indians, 48-34, at home on Feb. 4. The Grizzlies started off with great offense, as they outscored the Indians, 14-7, in the first quarter. However, the Indians gained their momentum in the second quarter and cut the lead down to five going into half time. The second half the Grizzlies’ defense stayed strong and never gave up the lead, as they held the Indians to only 17 points the second half, helping them lead to victory. Lizarde had an outstanding game, scoring 26 points, followed by Gressel with nine.

The Grizzlies beat the American Christian Eagles, 39-27, at home on Feb. 7. The Grizz started off with great defense, holding the Eagles to only two points in the first quarter; however, the Eagles cut the lead down to one going into halftime. The third quarter held a lot of intensity and great offense by both teams. The score was tied at the start of the fourth quarter; however, the Grizzlies’ defense was clutch, as they held the Eagles to only three points in the fourth quarter, leading them to an 11-point win. Jessica Richards led with 15 points, followed by Lizarde with 13.

The JV Grizzlies lost to the Quincy Trojans on Jan. 31 in Quincy. The first quarter the Grizz did not play to their potential and only scored four points to the Trojans’ 13 points. The second quarter was better for the Grizz, as they outscored the Trojans 10 -7 but still were down going into half, 20-14. The JVs came out strongly in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans, 6-2, only behind by two points. The ladies were only outscored in the fourth quarter 10-8, but fell short of the win with a final score of 32-28. The Grizz did well for recently losing two key players for their offense and defense. The top scorer of the game was Taylor Gonzales with 13 points followed by Danica Gressel and Brittany Cash with six points each.

The Grizzlies defeated the Chester Volcanoes Feb. 4. In the first quarter The Grizz had a massive lead on the Volcanoes, 14-3. In the second quarter the Grizz continued to dominate the Volcanoes, going into half with a score of 31-12. In the third quarter the Grizz slowed down but still continued to score on the Volcanoes only to extend their lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter the Grizz scored 12 point to the Volcanoes’ 11 points and ended the game with a score of 56-33. The top scorer of the game was Taylor Gonzales with 16 points and Becky Renteria with 12 points.