Gridley’s Bikram Kullar was the MVP of the 44th Annual Georgia Raczniak Tournament held in Colusa from Dec. 18-20.

COLUSA, CA (MPG) – While suffering three losses at their own Invitational two weeks ago, playing against tough competition from the Bay Area paid off as the Bulldogs swept their competitors at Colusa’s 44th Annual Georgia Raczniak Tournament, and in the process successfully defended the championship they won a season ago.

Moving the ball fluidly, crashing the boards and playing tenacious defense, Gridley went on to defeat Williams 57-30, held off Sutter 53-50, then trounced the host RedHawks 66-32 at the event which ran from Dec. 18-20.

In its first outing against the Yellowjackets, the Bulldogs’ press created turnovers that they turned into transition buckets and that ultimately contributed to a running clock in the final quarter.

Still getting back into play shape after an illness, Bikram Kullar tossed in a game high 14 points, while Ulysses Anguiano finished with 12 points in the easy win.

The Bulldogs’ Jacob Boyan was named to the All-Tournament team at Colusa’s 44th Annual Georgia Raczniak Tournament.

However, in a repeat of 2024, the best game of the tournament was played the following evening in a battle with Sutter that saw the two teams tied 28-28 at the half and Gridley clinging to a 37-36 advantage at the end of the third period.

Things got somewhat dicey for the Bulldogs in the final quarter when after committing a turnover, Sutter turned to the inside game and took a 47-46 lead with under two minutes remaining.

Yet, the Bulldogs were unfazed as Thiago Rosales answered by draining a shot from beyond the arc to put Gridley back on top 49-47 with 1:26 left on the clock.

Then after getting a stop on the Huskies’ ensuing possession, Kullar hit a three which ultimately proved to be the final nail in the coffin although Sutter, to their credit, continued to fight until the final buzzer.

Kullar again paced Gridley ending the night with 16 points, while Anguiano and Jacob Boyan chipped in with 10 points apiece.

After such a tight contest, last Saturday’s championship game against the host RedHawks, although chippy in the end, was rather anti-climactic as the Bulldogs led wire to wire, always finding an answer to the few runs that Colusa managed.

Perhaps the Bulldogs felt the need to prove they were the superior team given that when the two squads met on Dec. 9, they escaped with just a one-point win.

Gridley guard Thiago Rosales was an All-Tournament pick at the 44th Annual Georgia Raczniak Tournament in Colusa.

However, in Gridley’s defense, it was the first game back for the athletes who had played football and they had yet to find the range and weren’t exactly in basketball shape.

Still, Coach Nathan Link said that a priority was placed on defense and particularly locking down the perimeter against both Sutter and Colusa. 

“We played better defensively,” said Link. “It was a point of emphasis to defend against the three, because we did not do that the first time against Colusa and to their credit, they hit the shots. We wanted to challenge both Sutter and Colusa so they didn’t have open looks.”

Yet, the offense did its part as well with Kullar and Anguiano accounting for 17 points apiece, Rosales adding 10 and Boyan dropping in nine.

For his efforts, Kullar was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Boyan and Rosales earned spots on the All-Tournament team.

Overall, Link is pleased by the depth on his team and the progress it continues to make saying, “We have a lot of guys that can contribute and further down the line we can be confident that there is not a lot of drop off when they are on the floor.”

Now 8-3 on the season, the Bulldogs will return to action on Dec. 27 at Dixon’s Ram Jam.

Gridley guard Thiago Rosales was an All-Tournament pick at the 44th Annual Georgia Raczniak Tournament in Colusa.