Lathrop High’s girls basketball team are likely to come up short of its very first Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearance, but it at least got to end the season on a high note.

The Spartans weathered visiting Sierra’s hot start, and point guard Jazlyn Simon was terrific on Senior Night as they won, 53-49.

Lathrop (5-9, 10-16 overall) was a far more dangerous team in its fourth season than its record shows but couldn’t nail down any big wins against the Valley Oak League’s contenders despite being competitive with them. One major setback to its postseason hopes was a 54-46 loss to Sierra (3-11, 7-19).

“The girls played with pride tonight. It was an uphill battle in the beginning, but we were able to pull it out at the end,” Lathrop coach Ed Fang said.

Simon ended her three-year career at Lathrop with a 17-point effort in which she was 7 of 8 on free throws. Lathrop actually shot 16 of 20 from the foul line, an area that it struggled with earlier in the season.

Junior center Loreal Taylor contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds. Akilah Lesley and Janet Visaya added nine points each.

The Timberwolves, who led 16-6 after the first, had three players in double figures: Celine Barber with 13, freshman Kayla Wilson with 12 and Asia Cortez with 10.

Weston Ranch 63, Kimball 56

In Stockton, fourth-year varsity player Emoni Wilson shined on Senior Night and exploded for 22 points for the postseason-bound Cougars (12-2, 17-8).

Point guard A.J. Brown pumped in 20 points and seven assists. Sophomore forward Elisabeth Alexander had 10 points and eight rebounds.

“We sputtered a little bit in the third quarter, but tempo-wise and execution-wise the kids did a pretty good job,” Weston Ranch coach Chris Bauer said. “They stayed committed to the game plan, which was the big thing for us going into the playoffs. We start a new season tomorrow, and now our goal is to win four or five more games and keep improving.”

Sonora 66, East Union 37

In Sonora, Victoria Vezaldenos scored 16 points for East Union (4-10, 8-17), while Bailey Henington fired 21 for Sonora (10-4, 18-7).

“I liked the way the girls competed, but Sonora was the better team tonight,” said EU coach Jim Agostini. “I thought the younger players got some valuable varsity experience and I saw some improvement from the start of the season, so we’re looking forward to continuing their development in the offseason and next year.”

Sophomore

Weston Ranch 46, Kimball 33

The Cougars wrapped up another championship season behind Kelli Laughlin’s 18 points and four assists. Crystal Hernandez contributed 10 points, and Victoria Gulley hauled in 13 rebounds.

East Union 35, Sonora 32

Everybody got in on the action for EU in its season finale, and the third-place Squires (8-6, 16-9) were still able to pull out the victory. Destiny Flores and Sam Gonzalez led them with six points each.

Lathrop 47, Sierra 42

Kristen Maesttretti led Sierra with 12 points and nine boards. Kiana Barber chipped in with seven points, five rebounds and four steals.

Freshman

Sierra 48, Lathrop 38

Devi Coglio tallied 25 points, and Brianna Padua poured in 11 for the VOL co-champion. The Timberwolves finished 12-2, and 22-4 overall.