BOYS
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Bulldogs boys’ basketball team continued their season as they beat the Pierce Bears in the first round of the 2023 CIF Northern Section Division IV 59-43 last Tuesday, February 14.

This is the first playoff victory in Gridley since the 2019 season. The Bulldogs started the game with a 9-0 run and it took Pierce a little more than five minutes into the game to score their first basket.

Gridley (12-12) junior forward Aaron Kullar got into foul trouble late in the first quarter and that caused him to miss a lot of time for the rest of the half.

The Bulldogs bench played great support minutes in the absence of Kullar.

Gridley head coach Nathan Link expressed to the Herald that the early lead the Bulldogs were able to build on also led to the luxury of being able to get Kullar some extra rest on the bench.

“We have a lot of guys on this roster that are great shooters,” Link said.

Some of the key support players off the bench included senior guard Kendal Witt and junior forward Kiko Castillo.

Kullar mentioned to the Herald that when he was on the bench, it opened up the opportunity for other players to take their shots and the ability to build confidence within themselves.

“We need everyone to be confident if we’re going to continue,” Kullar said.

Gridley had a 36-16 lead at the end of the first half.

Pierce would cut the lead down to 12 a couple of times in the second half, but the Bulldogs were able to keep their distance.

It was an all-around team win for Gridley as everyone chipped in statistically throughout the night.

Kullar ended the game with a team-high 14 points and senior guard Benson Tolman added nine points along with six rebounds and four assists.

With the win, the Bulldogs traveled to Orland last Thursday for the second round as they met their Butte View League co-champions for the second time in a little over a week.

Link told the Herald Gridley was physical with Orland and they built a comfortable lead, but the lead slipped away throughout the second half.

He added that turnovers hurt the Bulldogs in the second half, but they pulled out the win in overtime.

Kullar had a big game that included 19 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks. Tolman added. 16 points, six rebounds and five steals.

Link added that junior forward Shmass Khan played his best overall game of the season for Gridley as he chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bulldogs traveled to play Colusa on Tuesday in hope of reaching the Division IV final this Saturday. Gridley lost by one point to Colusa on a December 20 matchup that Link added they were evenly matched throughout the game.

GIRLS
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Lady Bulldogs lost at the final buzzer in their first round matchup versus the Anderson Cubs 51-49 in the CIF Northern Section Division IV last Tuesday, February 14.

This was Gridley’s first playoff appearance since the 2020 postseason. Anderson opened up the game with a 7-2 run in the first three minutes of the game.

Lady Bulldogs sophomore forward Brook Marr, who is also the leading scorer for Gridley on the season, was in foul trouble when she picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter.

Despite Marr being in foul trouble, the Lady Bulldogs were able to keep pace with the stellar play of senior forward Kennison Cota as she scored seven of the nine Gridley points in the first quarter.

Marr ended the game with nine points and 10 rebounds and Cota ended with 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs trailed 22-20 at the half and came out in the second half with a new identity as they drove to the basket every possession in the third quarter.

Gridley head coach Becca McCray expressed to the Herald that she told her team they are capable of getting the ball inside so use it to their advantage.

The Lady Bulldogs used their advantage flawlessly as they forced Anderson to commit nine fouls in the third quarter, which allowed them to get multiple free throw opportunities.

Gridley converted 13 of their 22 free throw attempts in the second half,

With five seconds to go in the game, the Lady Bulldogs defense was not able to keep the game tied as Anderson junior forward Maria Bautista was able to squeeze through the lane that was defended by Marr, Cota and senior forward Ella Sannar and throw up a last second layup that would go in as time expired off the game clock ending the Gridley season.

McCray said her favorite memory of this team was the way they always fought through every game and her favorite memory of this roster would be the team bondings whether it was family dinners or outings such as going to watch the Sacramento Kings play a game a couple of weeks ago.

For next season, McCray will start working with her returners after a month off to get ready and gear up for next season.