NEWMAN – In order to get ready for Trans-Valley League action that begins toward the end of this week, Orestimba High girls’ basketball head coach Dwain Bell scheduled some of the best teams to play in preseason.
That included the annual Orestimba Winter Classic, which concluded on Dec. 29. Calaveras, coming into the classic with a 15-1 record, have been beating most of its non-league opponents by 60 or more points in recent weeks.
The good news for Orestimba is that the visiting Red Hawks didn’t score 60 or more points. But Calaveras did post a 49-28 win to capture the classic title that is round-robin format that included Modesto High and Ben Holt College Prep Academy of Stockton. The Warriors beat the latter squad on Dec. 27 and lost to the Panthers on Dec. 26.
“Calaveras is a very well-coached team,” said Bell of the Red Hawks. “There’s a reason they are No. 1 in (Division) 4. My girls played great defense to hold them to only 50.”
Orestimba (5-10 overall) put the defensive pressure in the second half of its game against Calaveras, which led 31-13 at halftime. The Red Hawks only scored seven points in the third quarter. But the Warriors didn’t fare any better from the offensive standpoint, scoring only three points for a 38-16 score entering the fourth quarter.
“We gave up 31 in the first half on a lot of second chance points,” said Bell, “but figured out some things and held them to only 19 in the second half. We just couldn’t buy a bucket the whole game. We got a lot of good looks, and I was proud of the way the girls kept shooting with confidence.”
Mallory Solano and Mirella Fregoso each scored six points for the Warriors. Natalie Corella and Ashlynn Bell followed with four points each, Laylahni Garcia and Cayla Finely three each and Salece Machado two.
Ashlynn Bell had 10 rebounds in the game. The Warriors had seven assists, with Machado dishing out three.
Upcoming games
Orestimba will play the final non-league game of the season on Tuesday when it welcomes Enochs of Modesto (10-4).
“Enochs will be a good test for us before league starts on Friday,” said Dwain Bell. “They were a tough game last year where we won in overtime at their place, so I know they are probably coming to get us back for that loss. We have been playing good defense all year, so we will see if that keeps up starting Tuesday.
Orestimba begins TVL action hosting Sonora on Friday. This game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
The Warriors continue league play on Tuesday, Jan. 13, when they welcome Ripon High’s squad for a 7 p.m. contest.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushmedia.
