FAIRFIELD – Courtney Duran nailed a 3-pointer moments into Weston Ranch’s first-ever Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff appearance, but by that time the Cougars were already down 5-0.
It didn’t get much prettier from there, as No. 5 Vanden knocked off the No. 11 Cougars, 72-36, to move onto the second round of the playoffs.
Timnesha Wilson paced the Cougars with 11 points, Denell Fox added eight and Amber Bell had seven.
“(Vanden) was solid, they won their league and they played well,” Weston Ranch head coach Chris Bauer said. “Unfortunately, we had too many turnovers.”
Bauer said his players’ nerves showed early and often.
“We weren’t able to adjust quickly enough,” he said. “When we made the adjustments, they did a really good job of countering.”
The good news was each of the Cougars got a chance to experience their first taste of postseason action, and Bauer says the experience will only help in the future development of the program.
“This season was huge for us,” he said. “First tournament win, first undefeated string – there were a lot of firsts. The girls put it all on their shoulders and they did a heck of a job.
“We’re just going to keep growing, keep improving and head into next year. It should be fun; this season was definitely a step in the right direction.”
Weston Ranch wrapped its first-ever playoff campaign at 17-11 overall.