The 30th annual Golden Valley Lady Cougars Classic brought together eight local teams, each entering with strong starts to their seasons. East Union, entering with a 2–1 record, came in with a history of dominance, having won the tournament the past three years and reached the playoffs six consecutive times. Merced entered the tournament undefeated at 3–0, while Ripon held a 2–1 record. Oakdale and Roosevelt both arrived with perfect 4–0 starts, and Golden Valley came in at 3–0. Beyer came in with a 1–2 record, and Gregori stood at 2–2. With such competitive and talented lineups, “The Classic” promised fierce competition and plenty of excitement from the tip-off to the final buzzer.
Day 1
The tournament opened with four competitive games that set the stage for the schedule ahead. East Union squared off against Merced High in the first matchup of the tournament and beat the Bears in a closely contested battle by a score of 45-41. Oakdale High followed against Ripon High. The Stampede showed resilience after a slow start and came back from a 12-0 first quarter deficit to closely defeat Ripon 46-44. In the third game of the day, Gregori High dominated Roosevelt with a strong 57-17 win. Beyer wrapped up the day by pulling off a 38-34 win over Golden Valley. These results shaped the placements for Day 2, setting up pivotal matchups as the tournament continued.
Day 2
Day 2 of the tournament featured intense matchups that further narrowed the bracket. East Union and Oakdale, having both won their openers, squared off in the second round. Oakdale took an early 13-8 lead after the first quarter and maintained defensive pressure through halftime. However, East Union came out strong in the third quarter, outscoring Oakdale 24-5 to take firm control of the game after halftime. Shebra Rezaye (10) led East Union with 13 points, including a few three-pointers and free throws, while teammates Zyondupree Beasley (0) and Ava Barrera (10) both added points for the Lancers and kept a strong defensive presence in the post that stopped the Stampede from easy scores. Oakdale’s top scorer was Keira Kirkpatrick (10) who finished with 11 points, but the team struggled to overcome East Union’s defensive intensity in the second half. The game ended 49-28 with East Union continuing onto the next round and moving one step closer to winning their fourth consecutive Golden Valley Classic.
The other second round matchup on the winner’s side included Gregori High and Beyer High. These two Modesto teams know each other well, and came out well-prepared and evenly matched. The teams traded scores and rebounds throughout the first quarter, but the score was tied 11-11 after one quarter. Beyer had good size which allowed them to hang with Gregori on the boards for a short while, but Gregori did a good job of rotating personnel and finding the matchups they wanted. As the game went on, Leah-Mya Thomas (0) and Kaylee Hartfield (11) took away Beyers’ rebound advantage which helped the Jaguars go on a 10-0 run to end the half. The score was 23-17 after two quarters. In the third quarter, Thomas and Hartfield made their presence known on offense as they made back-to-back three point shots which helped the Jaguars go a 23-3 run for the 3rd quarter. The Jaguars cruised to victory in the fourth quarter and finished the contest with a final score of 59-23 as Beyer scored only one field goal in the second half.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Merced faced off against Ripon. The Bears, eager to avenge a tough loss on the first day, rebounded well from their Day 1 loss with a strong 58-39 victory over Ripon. The other game featured the hosting team, Golden Valley, playing against Roosevelt High. The Cougars dominated Roosevelt by a score of 33-19. Consecutive tournament losses for Roosevelt left them in disarray after coming into the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. Their loss secured them a matchup in the 7th place game, while the Cougars’ impressive victory set up a CCC showdown for Day 3 between the Bears and Cougars.
Day 3
The final day of the Lady Cougars Classic featured intense battles for placement and the championship title. The first game of the day was for seventh place. Ripon High battled Roosevelt High. Both teams were looking to end the tournament on a positive note, but in the end, Ripon High completed the victory over Roosevelt High by a score of 51-28, securing a strong finish in the tournament.
That game was followed by a CCC crosstown rivalry matchup between Golden Valley High and Merced High: Merced took an early lead to start the game and held a 12-9 advantage after the first quarter. They extended that lead to 23-15 by halftime. The momentum remained with Merced at the end of the third quarter as they led 35-22. After three quarters, the Bears were looking good. However, Golden Valley failed to roll over in the fourth quarter. Instead, they fought back against the deficit. The Cougars slowly stole the momentum back and ended up shrinking the lead to just one possession in the final moments. With just 40 seconds left, Merced led 38-37, but Golden Valley’s Ajaya Hudson made crucial free throw shots to take the lead. This would be all the Cougars would need to hold on to a 39-37 comeback victory.
The third-place game featured Oakdale High and Beyer High. Both schools were 1-1 after two days of play. Oakdale ended up winning the matchup which secured their team a third place finish in the tournament while Beyer ended up in 4th place after finishing the tournament 1-2.
In the championship game, East Union faced Gregori in a matchup that lived up to the hype of a championship game. The teams came out aggressive and fast. Audrey Pacheco (24) helped set the pace early for the Jaguars. She pushed the ball hard downcourt as the game began and secured quick points for the Jaguars. She was able to get herself to the line early and often in the game. However, East Union’s playmakers made sure to answer whenever the Jaguars tried to make a run. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-11 in Gregori’s favor. In the second quarter, East Union’s Ava Barrera and Shebra Rezaye helped East Union come back with some smooth drives to the basket, strong defense down low and clutch free throws in the final minutes. By the end of the second quarter, the lead was 20-18 for East Union.
In the second half, the Jaguars tried to take back the lead with their strong guard play. Veronica Whitten (4) played fast and smooth from the guard position, attacking the basket and feeding her teammates with passes that helped Gregori take back the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, 35-34. However, it seemed like every time Gregori took the lead, East Union would find a player to step up. A big contributor for the Lancers in the second half was senior Jerney Luckett (15). She matched up in the post against Gregori’s Leah-Mya Thomas (0) who played a strong game of her own. Both players made multiple free throws and field goals in the second half to keep the game close. By the fourth quarter, both teams were tied 43-43. However, in the second half, Gregori had some injuries to key players that eventually took their toll. At one point, Pacheco and Kaylee Hartfeld (11) were both out after taking hard falls on the court. However, both were able to return as Gregori battled to keep the game close. Unfortunately, their senior guard Veronica Whitten also went down with an ankle injury late in the second half that kept her out for the rest of the game. This injury really affected the Jaguars in overtime. They appeared to be outpaced and outmaneuvered as the game progressed into overtime.
Gregori struggled to find the basket in overtime. They were ice cold from the floor and could only score one point, a free throw shot from a foul late in overtime. East Union never let up. They drove hard to the basket and found a few shots which allowed them to go on a 7-0 run to start overtime. After that, the Jaguars finally ran out of gas and weren’t able to keep up as the Lancers won by a final score of 56-44, winning their 4th straight Golden Valley Lady’s Classic.
East Union’s Ava Barrera and Shebra Rezaye were given tournament honors after an impressive performance that showcased their scoring abilities and defensive skillset on the court. Reflecting on the win, Barrera said, “This is my last and fourth year here, so it’s really something special, for sure.” Barrera and Rezaye are seniors. They have played in this tournament for the last four years and have never lost a game in this tournament. Their contributions helped them and East Union secure their fourth consecutive Golden Valley Lady Cougars Classic championship.
The final standings saw East Union take first place, with Gregori finishing as runner-up. Oakdale earned third place after a hard earned battle with Beyer, who took fourth. Golden Valley secured fifth place by narrowly defeating Merced, who finished sixth. Ripon claimed seventh place following their win over Roosevelt, who concluded the tournament in eighth place.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos and Average Local Media Sports Staff ↩︎
