Colton celebrates seniors, plays tough against Carter

Young Yellowjackets defeated by their toughest opponent of the season, 67-48

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Gabriel Aparicio returned for Senior Night, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Carter Lions.

Colton, CA—For the final game of the regular season, the Yellowjackets faced Carter High, the first place team in the San Andreas league. Carter controlled the game from the opening tip-off, and defeated the Yellowjackets 67-48.

“The score was horrendous,” said Josiah Diggs, starting forward for the Yellowjackets. “But two minutes into the game I saw that it was over for us, so we had to learn their moves and better ourselves.”

Bettering themselves has been the story for much of the season, and the young Yellowjacket squad, comprised mostly of underclassmen, has a lot to learn and grow on moving forward into next season.

“We got blown out, and we lost in the first quarter, but the second half was when we made it up,” Devin Torrez said. “We started doing better and knocking down more shots.”

Torrez, who has been the team’s offensive rock all season, didn’t have to carry such a heavy load tonight with the return of Gabriel Aparicio to the lineup. Aparicio’s return energized the lineup, and he had a strong all-around game. 

“I feel like I did alright,” Aparicio said. “The other team was probably the best team we’ve played so far. Honestly, I’m proud of my team, not by how we did, but how we played against them.”

Although Colton didn’t win, they put up a good fight. That has been the story of their season.

Tonight was Senior Night for the basketball team, who bid farewell to shooting guard Abel Figueroa and statistician Jackie Ramirez. Both are beloved by their teammates for their contributions, and were treated to a celebration involving the cheer squad, flowers, and hugs from their teammates.

It was an uplifting end to the season.