Lady Generals stay perfect in SSL

The Shafter High Lady Generals basketball team are still undefeated in the SSL this season as they dominated rival Wasco Tigers last week with an 83-21 win in Shafter to close out the first round of league play.

Shafter had Isela Lugo leading the way with 26 points, with Alexia Ramirez scoring 20, Annemarie Puiser pouring in 16 and Kyla Schooley adding 14 points.

A lot of the Shafter offense was set up by a smothering pressure defense that forced the Lady Tigers into numerous turnovers, accounting for a good amount of the scoring for Shafter, especially in the second half.

Shafter opened up a 21-6 lead at the end of the first quarter of Thursday's game. The second quarter was all Lady Generals, with Lugo and Puiser hitting key baskets, enabling Shafter to open up a 30-point lead. The first half ended with the Lady Generals ahead by a score of 42-9.

The second half was brutal, as the Shafter squad scored at will on the Lady Tigers, with several of the baskets the result of turnovers in the Wasco side of the court, with the Shafter defense preventing the Wasco players to even bring the ball up to midcourt.

Shafter emptied the bench in the fourth quarter, with the game using a running clock in the final quarter. On the night, Kyla Schooley had her most productive game of the season, putting in 20 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Alexia Ramirez also shone in the game, scoring 15 points and had 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.

As dominating as this game was, the Lady Generals had an even more dominant outing in their first game of the week. The Lady Generals beat the Kennedy Thunderbirds, 72-5. Isela Lugo had another outstanding game, pouring in 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

Puiser had a great game with 18 points, 8 rebounds to go along with six steals.

In SSL play so far, the Lady Generals have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 324-91, winning their games by an average of 54 points.

Head Coach Juan Zavala said that his team is getting better every week and said that they are looking to keep improving. "We just keep working to get better, and we should be ready by the time that the playoffs come around."

The Lady Generals have two games this week, with Chavez on Tuesday night, followed by a matchup with the Taft Wildcats on Thursday night. The Chavez game will start at 6:30 p.m., with the game against Taft beginning at 8 p.m. Both games will be played in Shafter.