FRESHMAN QUINN CHANEY SLAMS THROUGH TWO CALAVERAS DEFENDERS DURING THE JUNIOR VARSITY GRIZZLIES’ CLOSE WIN IN THE OPENING GAME OF THE BRET HARTE TOURNAMENT. GAZETTE PHOTO BY JILL BALLINGER Mariposa’s junior varsity basketball team came up on the short end of a 64-51 count in its championship contest at the Bret Harte basketball tournament last Saturday. The young Grizzlies battled Bret Harte for the crown, in what head coach Mark Abney termed “a really close, hard-fought game.”

Mariposa raced off to a big lead in the first quarter, but stumbled in the second period and pumped just 4 points to hold a slim 30-27 edge at the intermission.

The contest was close down to the wire when the Grizzlies were forced to foul, and Bret Harte pulled away at the free throw stripe. For the game, freshman Quinn Chaney hit for 17 points.

In their first battle of the tournament last Friday, the Grizzlies thumped Calaveras, 50-47 in a thriller. Sophomore Wyatt Ellis scorched the net for 21 points with 4 3- pointers.

“Wyatt had a great game at both ends of the court,” Abney said. Chaney and Tim DeSandres both hit critical buckets as the clock wound down in the final stanza to preserve the victory.

In its second game, Mariposa made short work of Tioga, 55-26, a team it easily handled during the annual alumni game contests. Jimmy Neri hit for 12 oints, Chaney added 11, and De- Sandres sank 10.

The young Grizzlies travel to Hilmar Thursday for another tournament slate, and their first match is against Bret Harte, a rematch Abney and his charges are looking forward to.