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| Patterson girls down Hilmar |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 30 January 2008 | |
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“We’ve been working hard on defense these last few weeks. We’ve had ... some big wins over Livingston and now Hilmar.” — Jason McCleery, PHS girls basketball coach The Patterson girls basketball team joined the Western Athletic Conference’s elite Monday, solidifying its spot in a three-way league tie for first place with a 53-45 win against visiting Hilmar. The New Year has brought about a renewed start for the girls, following a less-than-stellar 6-8 record at the start of the season. Patterson’s overall record has since blossomed to 14-10, with a league mark of 8-2. “We knew that the first five games of the season weren’t our best,” Patterson coach Jason McCleery said. “We’ve been working hard on defense these last few weeks. We’ve had some good practices and some big wins over Livingston and now Hilmar.” Patterson knew it was in for a tooth-and-nail struggle with the Yellowjackets. Hilmar is an aggressive bunch, known for hardnosed, physical play. Both teams met the challenge, sending bodies flying after loose balls, standing in on hard-charging fouls, and at times, even drawing an occasional drop of blood from the opponent.  Patterson's Mary Mojica looks for a teammate as Hilmar's Lindsey Mendes puts on some pressure. Photo by Elias Funez Tigers senior guard Brooke Borba did not mind the rough and tumble style of play. “The game was really physical, but I kind of enjoy it,” Borba said. “It’s a challenge, and I like to overcome them.” McCleery was not surprised with the nature of the game. “We’ve seen (Hilmar) a lot,” McCleery said. “We know that they’re physical, but so are we. We just have to make sure that we don’t back down and that we keep up our intensity.” Defense was clearly the story of the first half. The physical nature of the game prevented both teams from finding an offensive rhythm. The Tigers eventually gained the upper hand, making good on free-throw opportunities, and muscling their way through traffic in the paint. Patterson senior forward Michelle Bancroft came off the bench to provide her usual offensive spark. Her jumper in the lane with less than two minutes to play in the second quarter allowed the Tigers to take a 37-29 lead into halftime. The Tigers offense began to click in the second half. By the fourth quarter, Patterson had cushioned its lead to 10, thanks to a Borba 3-pointer.  A Hilmar guard tries to get open as Patterson's Mary Mojica hits the ground and teammate Shelby Yamamoto stands at center. Patterson’s Cassie Coble and Shelby Yamamoto took turns feeding each other the ball in the post. Both posed significant threats to the Yellowjackets defense in the final minutes, scoring 16 and 13 points respectively. With the game in hand, and Hilmar forced to foul, it was up to the Tigers to seal the win at the free-throw line. Bancroft, Borba and Coble all hit clutch shots from the line to finish off the Yellowjackets. “We know that we’re going to get hit and pushed,” McCleery said. “We just have to keep on playing basketball and not let that affect us.” The Tigers have clawed their way back to the top of the standings. Coble spoke of what the win over Hilmar means for the rest of the season. “This win is very significant,” she said. “We’ve worked hard, we’ve worked together, and this is where we want to be.” Borba indicated the Tigers aim to finish the season on a high note. “We know that we can do this, and we know that we’re better than (other teams in the league),” she said. “We have to push ourselves, and that only works with teamwork.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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