With defeats in their last two Southern Athletic League basketball contests, Mariposa’s Lady Grizzlies have slipped to 3-8 in league play for the season, and they host second place Le Grand Thursday night.

On Monday evening, Turlock Christian’s high-flying Eagles smothered Mariposa, 69-28. The Eagles held a 18-10 bulge at the end of the first quarter, then reeled off 17 more points in the second stanza to leave Mariposa on the short end of a 35-17 count at the intermission.

The third and fourth quarters were more of the same as Turlock Christian hit for 21 and 13 respectively, and the Lady Grizzlies could muster just 7 points in the third, and a paltry 4 in the fourth.

Not one Mariposa player managed to hit double digits. Senior guard Brook Barrett led Mariposa with 7 points.

“I would say they must have shot around 70 percent from the floor,” said head coach Al Brondolo. “Everything they threw up went in. They are a very, very good team.”

Last Thursday, Mariposa fell to Waterford’s Wildcats, 54- 38, in a much closer contest.

The Lady Grizzlies got off to a very slow start, scoring just 4 points in the first period while the Wildcats canned 13. Both teams scored 10 points in the second quarter for a 23-14 Waterford advantage at the half.

The Lady Grizzlies’ scoring picked up in the final two periods, scoring 13 in the third and 11 in the fourth, but Waterford kept the pressure on and easily ran away with the win.

Senior guard Emily Darcy led Mariposa in the scorebook with 16 points, and Jin Anderson dumped in 6. Senior Patricia Schellentrager pulled down 8 rebounds.

“It’s been a challenge at a lot of levels this season,” Brondolo said. “A lot of times things just haven’t gone our way.”

Le Grand’s Bulldogs, currently in second place behind Turlock Christian, will invade Mariposa Thursday evening for a 7:30 p.m. SAL clash in the Loyd Hobby Gymnasium at MCHS.