Lady Generals win their own basketball tournament

The Shafter High Lady Generals basketball team captured the title in their own tournament over the weekend, beating Redwood High of Visalia in the championship game, 44-38.

Shafter made it to the finals with a rout of Templeton High School in the semifinals, 45-24.

The team was led by tournament MVP Isela Lugo, who averaged 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals a game for the day.

Shafter raced out to a 10-point lead in the game, using a smothering defense and a quick transitional offense to extend their lead.

Each time Redwood would try to mount a comeback and cut into the lead, the Lady Generals would go on a run to keep the lead more than eight points.

The squad also got outstanding play in the title game by team captain Alexia Ramirez and rebounding and shooting from Kyla Schooley.

The win raises the Lady Generals' record this season to 7-3. The win also was the 14th straight home win by Shafter, dating back to last year. During that stretch, the team has beaten their opponents by an average of 32 points.

Ramirez has had a great season so far as well, averaging 15 points a game for the season. Schooley is averaging 13 points per game.

The team is now ranked number three in Kern County, behind only Tehachapi and Kern Valley. This includes large-school division schools such as Frontier, Bakersfield High, Centennial and Liberty.

Led by Head Coach Juan Zavala, the Lady Generals have played one game in the South Sequoia League so far, a 62-28 rout of the McFarland Cougars. Zavala is happy with the way the girls have played so far, getting better every week.

"Every game we are improving. I am liking our progress. We still have a lot of things to improve on but by the time that playoffs come around, we are hoping to be firing on all cylinders"

Zavala said that they are motivated to make a run again in the playoffs, adding to the success that the team saw last season. Zavala has continued the progression the team made under former coach Shawn Pennell, who retired last year after helping turn the cellar-dwelling Lady Generals into a section powerhouse. Last season, the team made it to the semifinals of the Central Section playoffs, with this year's squad hoping to improve on that finish. Shafter's next game will be on Tuesday, Jan. 7, in an SSL contest against the Delano Tigers. The varsity game tips off at 6:30 p.m. in Delano.