Outscoring Bret Harte in a Tuesday night contest, Dec. 13, the Escalon varsity basketball girls then came out on the short end of a final score Thursday against Bear Creek.

In the battle with the Bullfrogs, Escalon had relatively consistent scoring, with a 13-8 edge in the first quarter, a 26-17 lead at the half. The only quarter where they didn’t score in double digits was the third, as Bret Harte outscored them 13-8, leaving Escalon with just a 34-30 lead after three quarters. A strong 12-3 run over the final eight minutes provided the margin of victory for the varsity girls.

They were on the home court for a Thursday night game, Dec. 15, hosting Bear Creek. The visiting Bruins had a little too much firepower for the Lady Cougars, using their size to outmuscle Escalon under the boards and hitting for some three-point shots as well.

Bear Creek took a 69-41 win off the court.

Escalon was also slated to play against Johansen on Tuesday, Dec. 20 after The Times went to press.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Both games went into the loss column for the young Lady Cougars, but first year head coach Thomas O’Hare said he has been pleased with the progress the team is making. They fell to both Bret Harte and Bear Creek in home games this past week.

“They were both very close,” noted O’Hare of the final score in each contest. “Our girls did some amazing things in each game.”

With the work ethic he has seen so far, the coach feels the wins are just around the corner for the JV team.

“We are getting better each day and I think we will surprise many people,” O’Hare said.

The JV girls were scheduled to take on Johansen on Tuesday, after The Times went to press.