Tracy Press

Tracy High’s Ashley Freitas (right) battles Ceres High’s Jode Johnson for a loose ball under the basket during their game in the 23rd annual Stonebarger Tournament at Liberty High in Brentwood on Thursday. Photo by Enrique Gutierrez/Tracy Press.

Tracy High’s Stefanie Eubanks takes the shot over Ceres High’s Aimee Gunzenhauser (left) and Brittany Lusk during the third quarter of their game at Liberty High in Brentwood on Thursday. Photo by Enrique Gutierrez/Tracy Press.

At a glance
Tracy 41, Ceres 27

BRENTWOOD — In a battle between Bulldogs, it was the female canines in green and gold who took their first-round match at the Liberty Tournament in Brentwood on Thursday, using 10 points from junior forward Marlene MacMillan and nine from senior Ashley Freitas to beat Ceres, 41-27.
The Bulldogs (1-1 preseason) managed to hold Ceres (2-3 preseason) to only a single free throw in the second quarter en route to a 20-8 halftime cushion, and held the other ’Dogs scoreless for half of the final frame.

It’s a good step for the 2006-07 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff qualifiers, who made the postseason for the first time in years after opening up the same tournament with a lopsided loss to Ripon — who Tracy will face today in the second round at 3:30 p.m. — a year ago. But it could have been even worse for Ceres.

“Getting back (on defense) killed us,” said MacMillan, who also led the way in rebounds with eight. “And we had some turnovers. ... Everybody knows what to do, we’re just having problems with communication.”

Sophomore point guard Stefanie Eubanks, in her second year running the offense, put in six, and Jordan Averiett added seven. Nicole Parks-Powell added four, Sarah Ballard put in three.
The Bulldogs have one of the taller teams around, with nearly the entire starting rotation at or near 5-foot-10. That dominance showed with points from the paint and a combined 22 rebounds from MacMillan, Parks-Powell, Freitas and Ballard.

“We knew that coming in,” said Tracy coach Mike Granillo, Jr, who returned all but one starter from the playoff team a year ago. “We’re still trying to find our chemistry; it’s still a little slow with everybody trying to get familiar with one another.  But we’re going the right direction.”

The six-team tournament turned into a five-squad affair on Thursday when Washington of San Francisco dropped out. But however many squads participate, the tournament — and the tournament title — matter to Tracy.

“It matters a lot,” Freitas said. “We’re trying to be viewed as a highly-ranked team — we have to come out and win here.”

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