Author: Aaron Williams
Foothill Cougars / High School

Foothill’s Dustin Niles fans nine in two-hit, complete game 7-1 win over Eureka

- by Aaron Williams

Before Friday’s game against Eureka at the Jim Morley Invitational, Foothill coach Todd Buck talked about that clutch hit that had been eluding the Cougars in the early part of the season.It took a couple of inning – and five runners left on base in the first two frames – before Foothill got the first clutch hit of the day. Add in a stellar nine strikeout, three-hit complete game gem from Dustin Niles and Foothill handled the Loggers 7-1 after getting five insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

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High School

State final preview: Mount Shasta faces test against Foothill of Bakersfield in Division V championship

- by Aaron Williams

The Mount Shasta Bears knew they’d be good heading into the 2018-19 season. They’d come off a 26-4 year in 2017-18 that saw them win the Northern Section Division V crown. But then the Bears drew an unusually high seed – a 15 seed many in the area thought was unfair under the CIF’s new competitive equity model – that resulted in a tough  58-56 road loss to San Francisco’s Urban. The Bears responded this year with a season for the ages, blitzing through all Northern California competition to a 33-1 mark and a chance at an elusive state crown.

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High School

Mount Shasta boys earn trip to Division V state title game with 80-56 NorCal finals victory

- by Aaron Williams

Coming into the 2018-19 season Mount Shasta coach Cliff Blakely wanted his team to win one state playoff game. Now, Blakely wants his team to win one more.The Bears, who hadn’t won a NorCal game in the two previous years, won their fourth Northern California Division V playoff game and punched their ticket to the state finals on Friday with an 80-56 win over second-seeded Dinuba in a stuffed Mount Shasta gymnasium.

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High School / U-Prep Panthers

Third-seeded U-Prep gets close, falls 51-36 to Wood of Vacaville in NorCal D-IV quarterfinals

- by Aaron Williams

Every time the U-Prep boys basketball team would cut into the Wood (Vacaville) lead on Thursday, the Wildcats had an answer. Whether it was a pressure turnover or a clutch bucket, the No. 6 seed in the NorCal Division IV playoffs countered everything the No. 3 Panthers (26-7) threw at them as Wood (25-7) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 51-36 win. All playoff coverage is presented by Redding Rancheria.

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Foothill Cougars / High School

Hutt’s ride from elementary school to the section finals makes for a fun trip down memory lane

- by Aaron Williams

As a freshman, Josiah Hutt scored three points in Liberty Christian’s 2016 Northern Section Division VI 45-27 title win over Chester. One year later, Hutt and the Patriots were trounced 85-26 by Fall River in the 2017 D-VI title game.Hutt has made a career out of making it to the section finals, transferring to Foothill after Liberty Christian shuttered its doors and helping the Cougars to the 2018 championship game. This time, Hutt and the Cougars ran into Kevein Kremer and the eventual state champion Pleasant Valley Vikings.On Saturday, Hutt and the Cougars had a shot at redemption and revenge, again playing the Vikings, who again came in as the Division III top seed. For the third time in four years, Hutt’s team fell short as the Vikings beat Foothill 43-40.

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