SACRAMENTO, Calif – After finishing in third place in the tough Trans-Valley League, the Orestimba High girls’ basketball team were looking to making some noise in the third part of the season.
That season being the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Girls Basketball Playoffs – Division IV.
Making the trek to Sacramento, No. 13 Orestimba ran into a buzz saw in the form of No. 4 West Campus. The result was West Campus recording a 60-20 win that was played on Feb. 18.
“This game was very physical, and the team held their own,” said Orestimba head coach Dwain Bell. “West Campus has three great players, and I knew it was going to be a big challenge for us and we never quit. We just couldn’t get enough of our shots to fall.”
Leading scorers for Orestimba (14-13 overall) were Olivia Gray with six points, Mirella Fregoso five, Shantelle Pizarro three, Laylahni Garcia and Lilly Rocha two points each and Natalie Corella and Kyleigh Brace one point each.
Bell believes that West Campus, which plays top-seed Liberty Ranch of Galt in a semifinal game on Tuesday, is the best team in the division.
“They are very well coached,” Bell said. “They are going to be a tough out for whoever they play.”
He talked about his Warrior basketball players and their growth from the start of the season through the early playoff exit.
“I feel bad for the seniors,” Bell said. “I told them I wish I had one more year with them to build and grow. But I also told them they are the first group in the building of this program and should be proud of how they fought and played and never gave up… I’m very proud of the girls.”
Orestimba finished with a 6-6 record in the TVL. This is the Warriors’ first year in the league after being in the Southern Athletic League from 2014 to last spring.
“This was an amazing season,” Bell said. “For us to finish third in the TVL and (14-13) overall in the girls first season with me as the head coach is pretty awesome.”
The Warriors started their season with a 5-1 record in the preseason. This included taking third place at the Los Banos Tournament in December.
“I don’t think there was a lot of expectations on us from the outside, but we expected to do well,” Bell said. “I’m so proud of the development and improvement of every single girl on this team.”
As the chapter ends on this season, Bell is looking forward to the 2025-26 season. There are six juniors and one sophomore in Corella who were on this year’s team.
“I’m already looking forward to next season and getting the girls back in the gym ASAP to start working again,” Bell said.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushphotography.
