Lady Grizzlies head coach Al Brondolo says his team is a “work in progress.”

Mariposa gained some ground in the second round of the Hughson tournament last weekend, upending Downey High School of Modesto, 40-23.

“We didn’t turn the ball over as much. We did a little better,” Brondolo said.

The Lady Grizzlies opened the tournament against Central Catholic and were ripped, 60-31. They topped Downey in their second clash before bowing to the tournament host, Hughson’s Huskies, 41-27, last Saturday.

“We’re shooting better than we did last year, but we still aren’t taking care of the ball, and turnovers are our biggest downfall right now,” Brondolo said.

Against Central Catholic, Mariposa played tough in the first period and trailed just 11-9. In the second stanza, Central dumped in 17 points while Mariposa could manage just 9. The Lady Grizzlies’ scoring output went downhill from there. They were outscored 12- 8 in the third, and 20-5 in the fourth.

For the game, senior guard Brook Barrett hit for 10 points, and Hannah Townsend added 6. Freshman Khrissy Schellen-trager pulled down 7 rebounds.

In the win over Downey, Mariposa gained an 8-6 first quarter advantage and outscored the Knights, 12-8, in the second stanza for a 20-14 edge at the intermission. The third quarter told the tale as Mariposa pumped 13 points through the net and held Downey to just 2.

Senior forward Julie Wurzbach was solid in the paint, scoring 12 points and grabbing 7 caroms. Sophomore Makayla Barrett added 11 points, and Brook Barrett, hit for 10 points and had 6 rebounds. Senior guard Emily Darcy chipped in with 5 boards.

In the final contest of the round-robin tournament, Mariposa fell behind, 23-17 at the intermission, but played fairly evening against the Huskies in the third stanza to trail by 33-24 going into the fourth period.

That’s when the wheels fell off, and Mariposa could manage just a single point while Hughson added 8 in the final frame.

“We couldn’t get it in the hole, we didn’t rebound well, and our defense really wasn’t very good in the fourth quarter,” Brondolo said.

Brook Barrett led the Lady Grizzlies with 12 points, and Darcy added 5.

Mariposa was without the services of a pair of starters. Veteran Jackie Brondolo played sparingly in the last game against Hughson, putting in less than a quarter on the court, and Patricia Schellentrager missed the entire tournament due to illness.

“We still getting better and working really hard on the fundamentals,” Brondolo said.

Mariposa opens Southern Athletic League action at Delhi on Thursday, and Brondolo hopes tournament play has readied his squad for league competition. “The league schedule isn’t going to be a cake walk,” Brondolo said. “There’s going to be some competitive teams, and we still have to get better.”