Winning felt so good for Lathrop High’s girls basketball team after Tuesday’s victory that the Spartans decided to do it again, putting together a fourth-quarter comeback to sting the Kimball 46-36 in both clubs’ Valley Oak League finale.
Lathrop (3-11 VOL, 5-20 overall) held the visiting Jaguars to just five fourth-quarter points on its way to posting consecutive victories to close out the schools second varsity VOL season.
“To end the season with a couple of VOL wins is always good,” Lathrop head coach Ed Fang said. “It is a first time for our school to put together back-to-back wins, so we are even more pleased about that.”
Senior captain Jasmine Elder led the Spartans with 14 points, while freshman Diamond Gomez continued her return from injury with a 10-point performance. Senior Krystal Ruiz added seven for the Spartans, while Erica Sanchez chipped in with seven.
The Spartans continued to grind it out during a tough season, and found the fruits of their labor in the final week. A squad that lost 14 games in a row at one point during the season had every reason to walk away from their goals, but continued the fight throughout the entire season.
“I think they finished like this because of their character,” Fang said. “One of the things I look for when I’m trying to build any team is character and how much they are willing to put out.
“This group of girls just never gives up.”
Elder and Ruiz are half of the four seniors on the club, with Britney Rallios and Blessie Caro completing the Spartans’ first basketball class. The four girls all played on the sophomore program when Lathrop opened its locker rooms for basketball.
Lathrop (3-11 VOL, 5-20 overall) held the visiting Jaguars to just five fourth-quarter points on its way to posting consecutive victories to close out the schools second varsity VOL season.
“To end the season with a couple of VOL wins is always good,” Lathrop head coach Ed Fang said. “It is a first time for our school to put together back-to-back wins, so we are even more pleased about that.”
Senior captain Jasmine Elder led the Spartans with 14 points, while freshman Diamond Gomez continued her return from injury with a 10-point performance. Senior Krystal Ruiz added seven for the Spartans, while Erica Sanchez chipped in with seven.
The Spartans continued to grind it out during a tough season, and found the fruits of their labor in the final week. A squad that lost 14 games in a row at one point during the season had every reason to walk away from their goals, but continued the fight throughout the entire season.
“I think they finished like this because of their character,” Fang said. “One of the things I look for when I’m trying to build any team is character and how much they are willing to put out.
“This group of girls just never gives up.”
Elder and Ruiz are half of the four seniors on the club, with Britney Rallios and Blessie Caro completing the Spartans’ first basketball class. The four girls all played on the sophomore program when Lathrop opened its locker rooms for basketball.
