Lathrop High’s girls basketball program finally got its first varsity victory in the Valley Oak League Tuesday, stunning host Oakdale, 41-38.
The Spartans (1-6, 3-15 overall) also snapped a 14-game losing streak. Their last win was on Dec. 13 when they drubbed Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove, 56-37 in a non-league contest.
Senior Jasmine Elder paced Lathrop with 13 points, and Janet Visaya added 10. Visaya played her first varsity game after getting called up from the sophomore team to replace injured freshman point guard Diamond Gomez, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Kelsey Clark, who led Oakdale with 14 points, drained two 3-pointers with less than 30 seconds left to make it close, but the lead was enough for Lathrop head coach Ed Fang to feel comfortable.
“I wanted everybody to be a part of it, so I put in our 11th and 12th players late,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way they played. We’ve been working hard in the last week or so and really turned up our intensity a notch.
“Our hard work in practice finally paid off.”
The difference was Lathrop’s press defense in the third quarter, which helped the Spartans outscore Oakdale (1-6, 5-9) 15-6 in the period. Oakdale was ahead 16-14 at halftime.
The Spartans (1-6, 3-15 overall) also snapped a 14-game losing streak. Their last win was on Dec. 13 when they drubbed Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove, 56-37 in a non-league contest.
Senior Jasmine Elder paced Lathrop with 13 points, and Janet Visaya added 10. Visaya played her first varsity game after getting called up from the sophomore team to replace injured freshman point guard Diamond Gomez, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Kelsey Clark, who led Oakdale with 14 points, drained two 3-pointers with less than 30 seconds left to make it close, but the lead was enough for Lathrop head coach Ed Fang to feel comfortable.
“I wanted everybody to be a part of it, so I put in our 11th and 12th players late,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way they played. We’ve been working hard in the last week or so and really turned up our intensity a notch.
“Our hard work in practice finally paid off.”
The difference was Lathrop’s press defense in the third quarter, which helped the Spartans outscore Oakdale (1-6, 5-9) 15-6 in the period. Oakdale was ahead 16-14 at halftime.
