Shafter High basketball heating up

The Shafter High basketball teams got wins last week, with SSL action heating up after the Christmas break. The Lady Generals upped their SSL record to 3-0 and won their two games last week by a combined total of 120-35 in their games against Delano and Taft. Shafter routed Delano on Tuesday, 68-13, and thrashed Taft, 52-22.

Against Delano, Shafter had three players in double digits, with Isela Lugo leading the way with 24 points, including hitting 3 of 6 from the 3-point line. Alexia Ramirez had 16 points and Kyla Schooley added 10 points for the squad.

In their contest against Taft, Lugo and Schooley had 17 and 12 points respectively. In the game, Annemarie Piuser had a great game on the defensive end, grabbing six rebounds and four steals. Lugo ended the game with 8 rebounds and four steals herself, having an outstanding all around game.

The Lady Generals are 11-4 overall for the season, with wins against several ranked teams in the Central Section and a #2 ranking in Kern County, behind only Tehachapi. This list includes perennially highly ranked teams such as Frontier, Centennial, Bakersfield and Independence High.

The team also has competed in several prestigious tournaments throughout the valley. According to Head Coach Juan Zavala, the team is geared up for the SSL and should be ready to compete for a championship when it comes playoff time. "We are excited about the start of the season and are ready for competing for another SSL championship and further in the playoffs."

The Shafter High boys team got their first win in the SSL on Thursday, beating Taft, 61-55. The Generals were led by senior Adin Cardenas, who had 24 points in the game. Ian Gonzalez added 9 points, while also getting 5 rebounds. Hector Cruz led the way on the boards, grabbing 12 rebounds, 11 of them on the defensive end of the court.

The win gave the Generals a 1-2 SSL record and 4-7 overall. Shafter lost to McFarland and Delano to open up the SSL season. They dropped their contest to McFarland 61-47 and lost a tough game to Delano by a score of 64-58.

The boys and the girls will be back in action on Tuesday with games against Kennedy High School. Then, on Thursday, they will face off against rivals Wasco Tigers. The boys will be traveling to Wasco, while the girls will be hosting the Lady Tigers, with the varsity games starting at 6:30 p.m.