Congratulations to the Lady Raiders for their march resulting in a Division 5 Valley and State Basketball Championship. 

The Quest for a State Championship became a real possibility as the Lady Raiders were seeded #3 in the Northern Region for the State Basketball Playoffs.  The high seed also meant that the ladies would be able to play on Al Gomes Court and enjoy the home floor advantage!  The opening round saw the Blue Raiders convincingly defeat the Woodland Christian Cardinals 60 - 35!  On to the 2nd round and another home game hosting the Grizzlies of Mariposa County High School.  The girls remained very focused and held off the gritty Grizzlies 52 - 40 to advance to the semi final.  There was an upset in Willows, which allowed the Lady Raiders to host the Northern Region Semi Finals on March 2nd vs. the #10 Seed Gridley Bulldogs.

The game was intense from the tip.  The home court advantage was very evident as the gym was packed with excited Blue Raider fans.  The game was tied 22 - 22 at halftime.  The girls got off to another great start after halftime, and made a couple of adjustments to ensure the quest didn't end here.  The game was tied 39 - 39 at the end of the 3rd period and that's when the Blue Raider faithful ensured that our fans would bring the energy and support necessary for the ultimate victory.  The Blue Raiders ended up pulling away in the 4th quarter and won the game 57 - 50.  It was a true test, but with the victory it was on to the #1 seeded St. Bernards High School in Eureka, CA.

The Northern Region Championship game was played on Tuesday - March 5th, and it felt like another home game with the more than 100 fans making the 8+ hour trip to support the Lady Raider Basketball Team.  A GIANT THANK YOU to all that were able to make the trip; and they were witness to another hot start by the Blue Raiders!  The girls outplayed the Crusaders from the tip, and jumped out to a 17 - 5 advantage after the 1st quarter.  Heading into halftime, St. Bernards closed the gap to 23 - 16.  Starting the 3rd quarter, the girls took the floor with a laser focus and extended their lead to 37 - 28.  The Crusaders used a hot start in the 4th quarter closed the game to a 42 - 40 advantage for Caruthers, then Jaque Magana hit a 3 point basket at the end of the shot clock extending the lead to 45 - 40 and the girls never looked back!  The Lady Raiders won the Northern Regional Championship 52 - 44 to advance to the 1st State Championship appearance in School History!

The laser focus remained, and the girls were on a mission to win a State Championship.  The game was played at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday - March 8th.  Before getting to the game, The Girls  Basketball team and Caruthers High School would like to thank Woodland Christian for allowing us the use of their gym and facilities on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the championship game.  Also a big THANK YOU to the over 300 students making the trip on the Rooter Busses, in addition to the 500+ Caruthers community family members and friends as we turned the Golden 1 Center BLUE!  Made it into another essential home game for the Blue Raiders.

The State Championship game pitted Ramona High School (# 2 seed from the Southern Region) against Caruthers High School (#3 seed from the Northers Region).  The game saw another amazingly fast start for the Lady Raiders as they jumped out to a 24 - 9 start, the Blue Raider pressure, shooting over 80% from the field, and not missing any free throws allowed the ladies to enjoy a lead at halftime extending 42 - 11.  Focus remained even with the large lead, and extended their lead to 55 - 25 at the end of 3 quarters.  Although the thought of a State Champion was becoming reality, the girls came out in the fourth quarter, continued to play hard and opened their lead to nearly 30 points again, and the State Championships opened with resounding 62 - 38 victory for the Blue Raiders.

The Lady Raiders were ranked #1 in the section, and defeated the Horned Toads of Coalinga High School 56 - 44 for their 3rd Valley Championship in the past 5 seasons!  Their quest for the Section Title ran through having home floor advantage, and the opening round victory over CVC was a convincing 74 - 29 effort.  The 2nd round presented a challenge from the Rosamond Roadrunner.  The Lady Raiders responded with another lopsided victory 63 - 25.  The Semi Finals saw a rematch from 2015, and the result was the same...a Blue Raider Victory 55 - 42, setting up a Valley Championship matchup with Coalinga.

The Lady Raiders used a hot start shooting the ball from the field, and jumped out to an early 20 point lead, limiting the Horned Toads to 2 points, both from the free throw line at the end of the 1st quarter.  The remainder of the contest was very close with Coalinga making several runs at the Blue Raiders, however we responded each time, and cam home with the victory 56 - 44!