Hot start by Yellowjackets cooled by undefeated Spartans

San Gorgonio sits its starters to begin game in what the Yellowjackets saw as an act of disrespect by the league rival

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Jasmine Barboza

Madison Prieto doesn’t back down against Spartan forward Jaylen Russell.

Colton, CA—The basketball court was in a frenzy as the Lady Yellowjackets hosted San Gorgonio on Wednesday night in an important league game. While Colton made huge strides in their communication, the Spartans still dominated, beating Colton for the second time this season, 39-24.

Sophomore Savannah Govea took charge for the Yellowjackets, scoring 7 points against the first place team in the Skyline League. “It was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Govea. “We just need to get that spark back.”

Senior Brianna Chacon earned praise from her team for breaching the Spartan’s defense and scoring a three pointer.

The game started clean with Colton jumping out to an early eight-point lead as San Gorgonio decided to start their second unit. The tides turned when the Spartans finally put their first string starters in the game, which immediately threw Colton in disarray.

The Spartan coach’s decision to start the game with his bench did not sit well with Yellowjackets head coach Keisha Young. She and the team felt disrespected by the league opponent. “I was drawn off, and we started the game hot with that.” 

After San Gorgonio put their first unit in the game, they took control, taking a 19-14 halftime lead. They blew the game open in the third quarter, going up by as many as 14 points before Colton mounted a brief comeback to end the third to go into the fourth down by 12, 29-17. In the fourth, Colton earned most of their points at the free throw line, but it wasn’t enough to close the deficit.

Colton has two games remaining on its league schedule. Their next game is a rematch against Bloomington on Friday in Bloomington. Game time is 5:30 p.m.

 

Notes:

Colton’s boys team traveled to San Gorgonio to play the Spartans, losing 52-46. They are now 0-4 in Skyline League. They will play against Arroyo Valley on Friday at the Hubbs Gym. Game time is 5:30 p.m.