Ruthie Bolton-Holyfield, retired WNBA Sacramento Monarchs World Champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner unexpectedly dropped by our practice on 2/13/12 and shared words of wisdom with the team. Retired international basketball player Ralph Sanders accompanied her. Ruthie’s and Ralph's motivational message to the girls was, "Never give up! And always try your best." Ruthie is finishing her book about her life’s trials and tribulations and Ralph has a book out titled "Half Time Hustle."  The team also got to hold and handle Ruthie’s Olympic gold medals. 

Tonight the Lady Grizzlies beat North Valleys in the first round of Cordova HS's Varsity Tournament.  Great job, ladies.  Keep up the good work.  Don't forget to visit N'Joyogurt today for your FREE Victory Treat!
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The first half of SFL league play came to a close Friday night as the host Grizzlies welcomed the Roseville Tigers.  The cross-town rivalry is always tightly contested, and Friday's games were no different as all three came down to the wire.

The Freshman girls would fall by a single point in the opening contest in overtime, overcoming foul trouble to take the Tigers to the brink.

The JV squad overcame an early deficit, as freshman Jennifer Manduca scored 24 points in the first half to pace the Grizzlies, and fellow freshman Julia Beck nailed a clutch runner late to give them the lead for good in the fourth.  Sophomore Grace Borgesi also had a huge three point bucket to answer the Tiger's long range bomb as time wound down.

In the last game of the night, the Varsity squad broke through for their first league win of the year riding the red hot shooting of Senior Cayley McDowell, who had 18 points on the strength of 5 three pointers, most from well beyond the arc.  Seniors Laura Preston and Maria Dela Cruz also were outstanding on the offensive end, as Preston dropped 15 points and Dela Cruz 12.  Preston iced the win from the freethrow line late, going 6/6 in the closing minutes.  She also pulled down 10 rebounds and dropped six assists in her most complete game of the season thus far.

The Grizzlies will open the second half of league on Thursday as they travel to Grass Valley to play Nevada Union, who swept Granite Bay in the first meeting.  The JV game will be a battle for first place in the SFL, as NU comes in undefeated, and the Grizzlies have won 5 in a row since opening league with a defeat at the hands of the Miners.

The JV Girls continued their winning ways, as they went to 12-0 on the season in winning the Jan Vitell Tournament at El Dorado High School.  Freshman PG Jennifer Manduca was named tournament MVP, and was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Freshman Taylor Nelson and Sophomore Gianetta France. 

The JV Grizzlies opened up with Union Mine, who they handled 58-27, led by dominant second quarter, where they out-scored their opponent 23-8.  Freshman Julia Beck led the way with 16 points, including 4 three pointers.  Manduca and Nelson were also in double digits scoring, with  11 and 13 points respectively.  In the second game, the Grizzlies dispatched host El Dorado 60-39, in a game that was tight at the half.  But a dominant third quarter coupled with the hot hands of Nelson and Manduca, who poured in 24 and 22 points respectively, was too much for the Cougars.

The Championship game was a rematch of a tightly contested earlier match between Ponderosa and Granite Bay, in which GB's Julia Beck scored on a layup with just seconds remaining to secure the win.  This time, no such heroics were needed, as Manduca used some clutch free throw shooting and was one of three Grizzlies in double digits, as Granite Bay pulled away for a 62-48 win to take home the Trophy.

The JV Lady Grizzlies are off to a GREAT start for the 2010-2011 season, winning their first four games in convincing fashion, and taking home a first place trophy in the Mira Loma Matador Madness tournament on December 2nd-4th.

The Lady Grizzlies opened the tournament with a dominant 60-24 win over Consumnes Oaks of Elk Grove, led by freshman PG Jennifer Manduca's game high 21 points.  Sophomore Kristin Kurpershoek had a near double double with eight points and 10 rebounds, as freshmen Julia Beck and Taylor Nelson chipped in with 10 and 8 points respectively.

Friday night would be more of the same, as Golden Sierra was not match for the red hot squad.  Despite playing on a partial court due to a leaky roof, and without the services of Kurpershoek, the team pounced on the Grizzlies of Golden Sierra, as three Lady Grizzlies were in double digits scoring.  Sophomore Gia France had a team high 11, and Manduca and Nelson had 10 a piece, as GB rolled to a 55-26 decision.

Saturday afternoon the Grizzlies would hold a good Rio Americano team to only three points in the first half, including a second quarter shut out, on their way to a 36-15 championship victory.  Nelson was the only Grizzly in double digits with 13 points, but a total team effort on both ends and a dominating defense ruled the day and brought home the hardware for Granite Bay.

The freshman girls took third place in their opening tournament of the season, beating Center High School to take the trophy on Saturday, December 4th.

The team was led in scoring by Julia Bermudez, who had a game high 15 points, and also pulled down 14 rebounds.  Nina Cook was second on the team in scoring, with 7 points and 7 rebounds in the game.

The freshman girls will next travel to Vista Del Lago High School, where they will take on the Lady Eagles on Tuesday December 14th.

Sarah Thamer (University of California, Berkeley, Class of 1981) visited with all three levels of the women's basketball program on November 18th for a post-play clinic and a chance to share with the players some of her vast experience and knowledge. 

Thamer was a first team All-Conference player for the Golden Bears, as well as a member of the USA Basketball Team.  She still holds several records at Cal to this day, many of them involving her excellent defensive play throughout her career.

Thank you Sarah for your time and willingness to share with our players!  Go Grizzlies and Go Bears!