Week seven of the city of Tracy Youth Hoops program marked the end of the regular season for the third- and fourth-grade and fifth- and sixth-grade boys divisions. The top four teams from each division will play in championship brackets, while the other four teams in each division will play in consolation brackets.
The other three divisions still have two weeks left to sort out their final standings.
Third-and fourth-grade boys
Legends 19, Knights 15The Legends (6-1) and Knights (4-3) battled for playoff position, with the Legends taking the No. 1 spot in the championship bracket with the win. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied 15-15, but the Legends turned up their defense to shut out the Knights in the fourth. For the Legends, Hayden Patzer scored 13 points, while Drew Reddick added five. Leading the Knights were Brandon Gee with six points, A.J. Panqalimon with five and Scotch Panqalimon with two.
Warriors 27, Blackhawks 18Ryan Ma exploded for 15 points in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors (6-1) overcome a 16-12 deficit against the Blackhawks (0-7). The Warriors take the second seed in the playoffs because of an early season loss to the Legends. Ma scored 26 of his team’s 27 points. For the Blackhawks, Ryan Ziller scored 10 points, Virgen Saul added four and Hunter Dario had three.
Lakers 28, Cyclones 14The Lakers (4-3) jumped out to a 21-12 halftime lead in this win over the Cyclones (1-6) to take the No. 4 seed in the championship bracket. Isaiah Hawthorne scored 16 points for the Lakers, while Jesse Perez added six and Filip Martinez five for the winners. The Cyclones’ offense was led by Bolaji Akinyemi’s eight points and Sammy Zuniga’s four.
Celtics 21, Bulls 18The Bulls (4-3) were knocked out of the championship bracket with this upset by the Celtics (3-4). The Bulls entered the fourth quarter down 15-9, and the Celtics’ early lead was too much to overcome. Dathan Satchell led the Celtics with 14 points, while Seth VanKatwyk added three and Jacob Hink had two. Leading the Bulls’ offense was Gabriel Murphy, who scored 10 points, and Nigel Wilkins, who put seven points on the board.
Third- and fourth-grade girls
Lakers 20, Lady Shooters 12The Lakers (7-0) continued their domination of the division with a win over the Lady Shooters (2-5). The Lakers jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first quarter and were in control until the Shooters put up seven points in the final quarter. The Lakers were still able to hang on for the win. Leading the way for the Lakers was Samantha Serrato, who scored 10 points, while Ariel Johnson scored seven and Alyssa Iturriaga scored three. The Shooters were led by Neenah Young’s eight points, and Andrea Garcia added three.
Golden Shooters, Shooting StarsThe Golden Shooters (3-4) moved into sole possession of second place in the division with their win over the Shooting Stars (2-5). The Shooters jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and held the Stars scoreless until the fourth quarter to claim the win. Karissa Mitchell led all scorers with six points for the winners. Pearl Batista led the Stars’ offense with two points.
Fifth- and sixth-grade boys
Nuggets 21, Blackhawks 19The Nuggets (3-4) knocked off the first-place Blackhawks (5-2) with a fourth-quarter rally. The Nuggets were trailing by four points entering the final quarter, but behind Mason Sheen’s six points, the Nuggets outscored the Blackhawks, 11-5, to pick up the win. The Blackhawks are still the top seed in the championship playoff bracket. Sebastian Lindain led the Nuggets with 10 points, while Sheen had eight for the game. For the Blackhawks, Dylan McLeod had seven, Hunter Losen six and Stan Wang four.
Lakers 16, Heat 14Joshua Torres scored a basket with five seconds left in the game to lead the Lakers (5-2) to a win over the Heat (3-4) and claim the No. 2 seed in the championship bracket. In a closely contested battle, the Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 10-6 lead. The Heat tied the game late in the quarter, a tie that stood until Torres came through to hit the game-winner. Conner Hill led the Lakers’ offense by scoring nine points, while Torres added four and Tyler Fratus tossed in three. The Heat was led by Nikhil Anoop’s eight points. Teammates Amal Thommil added four and Alejandro Pena tossed in two.
Celtics 21, Terminators 17The Celtics (5-2) secured the third seed in the championship bracket with this close win over the Terminators (2-5). The teams were tied 6-6 at halftime, and the Celtics had a narrow 14-12 lead as the teams entered the final quarter. But the Celtics, led by Jake Hiltachk’s four fourth-quarter points, outscored the Terminators, 7-5, in the frame to take the win. The Celtics’ Hiltachk led all scorers with 11 points, while Zachary Cortright added five, and both Pablo Chavez and Angel Vargas added two. Antonio Soto and Kushal Sekhon both scored six to lead the Terminators, while Luis Ayala chipped in three.
Defenders 18, Bulldogs 12The Defenders (4-3) won their fourth game in a row to gain the fourth spot in the championship bracket with this win over the Bulldogs (1-6). The third quarter was the turning point, as the Defenders outscored the Bulldogs, 7-0, in the frame to build a 13-5 lead that stood up to a strong fourth quarter by the Bulldogs. The Defenders were led by Collin Waddoups’ five points, while Zachery McIntosh scored four, Reed Mathews scored three and Austin Austin, Rory Flynn and Mark Stamatelaky each scored two. The Bulldogs were led by Lance Arguello, who had a game-high 11 points.
Fifth- and sixth-grade girls
Grapenators 8, Teal Tigers 7For the second weekend in a row, the Teal Tigers (5-2) were upset, this time by the Grapenators (5-2), who moved into a first-place tie with the win. The Tigers held a 7-6 lead entering the final quarter, but the Grapenators’ defense shut out the Tigers in the final frame, and Brianna Serrato scored two of her game-total three points in the quarter to rally the Grapenators to the win. Kelly Telles led the Grapenators by scoring four points, while the Teal Tigers were led by Amaya Salas’ four points and Bailey Broker’s two.
Fury 21, All Stars 10The game was close until the Fury (3-4) outscored the All Stars (1-6), 10-2, in the fourth quarter for the win. The Fury had five players score in the game and were led by Giana Oliveri’s nine points. Also helping the cause for the winners was Danielle Williams and Nicole Graham, with four each, and Rian Kazakevich and Amay Matsuhara, with two each. The All Stars were led by Madeline Dabandam’s eight points, while Erika Concepcion added two.
Seventh- and eighth-grade coed
Warriors 28, Bulls 25For the second week in a row, the Bulls (5-2) were upset, this time by the winless Warriors (1-6). The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 13-13. But the Warriors outscored the Bulls, 15-12, in the final frame for their first win of the season. Oliver Messier led the Warriors’ offense with 10 points, while Josh Soto added eight, Chyrah Woods had six and Zach Stone scored four. The Bulls’ Bryan Lopez was the high scorer for the game with 13 points. Marissa Mitchell added six and Cordale Satchell scored three for the Bulls.
Kings 12, Sharks 11The Kings (5-2) moved into a tie for first place with this narrow win over the Sharks (3-4). The Kings had a 10-5 lead after three quarters and outlasted the Sharks in the final quarter. Alfredo Weigner led the Kings with seven points, and teammates Cesar Chavez and Sean Broker added two. Connor Pettipiece led the Sharks’ attack with seven points, while Decker MacKenzie added two.