JUNIOR DRAKE LONG SWATS A LE GRAND SHOT DURING THE GRIZZLIES’ FINAL REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME OF THE 2010 CAMPAIGN. LONG FINISHED WITH 12 REBOUNDS IN THE CONTEST. THE GRIZZLIES TRAVELED TO WATERFORD ON FEB. 19 TO CAP A PERFECT SAL SEASON AT 15-0. GAZETTE PHOTO BY JILL BALLINGER Mariposa’s Grizzlies held a short celebration in Waterford last Friday night. They whipped the Wildcats, 48-39, to polish off a perfect 15-0 Southern Athletic League campaign.

“I’m really proud of what this team has accomplished,” crowed head coach Trace DeSandres. “Our last few games haven’t been anything to write home about, but they definitely got it done.”

Last Wednesday night, the Grizzlies spoiled an upset bid by Le Grand, 35-26, in one of the most unusual games ever played in the MCHS gym.

At Waterford, Mariposa bolted to a 16-9 first quarter lead, and expanded on that margin by the intermission, 30-18. DeSandres substituted liberally the entire contest. “Everybody got to play, and that was nice, especially for our seniors,” DeSandres said.

JUNIOR JEREMIAH BACA TAKES TO THE AIR TO MAKE THIS SHOT AGAINST WATERFORD LAST FRIDAY. THE GRIZZLIES FINISHED THE SAL SEASON WITH A PERFECT 15-0 MARK. GAZETTE PHOTO BY JILL BALLINGER For the game, senior Mariposa standout Cody Wichmann poured through 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in limited minutes. Senior forward Pierce Chaney added 7 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while senior Cody Peterson chalked up 7 points.

The contest against Le Grand was a spectacle. Bodies were flying all over the court, and Wichmann was used like a ladder by the Bulldog defenders. They climbed all over him the entire game, but were whistled very few times.

Le Grand managed to gain a 9-7 advantage by the end of the first period, and then the wheels fell off of both carts.

The Bulldogs scored just 3 points in the second quater, and Mariposa managed a paltry 5 for a 12-12 deadlock at the half.

“They (Le Grand) were playing pretty good defense, we just couldn’t get anything working inside,” DeSandres said. “It was one of the funniest games I’ve ever been involved with.”

The Grizzlies found the range in the third period and outscored the Bulldogs, 11-5. They capped that with a 12-9 edge in the final 8 minutes for the strange SAL victory.

Wichmann had 17 points and cleaned 16 rebounds off the board. Junior forward Drake Long snagged 12 rebounds, and senior guard Parker Shaddix was Mariposa’s second-leading scorer with 6 points.