Sutter senior forward Jagger Beck (14) puts a shot up in the Huskies’ 51-48 victory over Marysville on January 24.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The River Valley girls basketball team ended their season and sent the Lady Falcons’ two seniors off with a victory over their crosstown rival in the Yuba City Honkers with a 36-23 victory on Thursday, February 8.

River Valley took a commanding 24-5 lead in the first half and didn’t let Yuba City get inside double-digits once they got up.  

Although the scoring leaders for the Lady Falcons were led by junior forward Avneeth Gill (9), junior forward Claudia Dudek (8) and junior guard Gurleen Nijjar (8), the spotlight was on senior forwards Allison Byrne and Tanvi Joshi.

Sutter junior forward Torrence Harter (4) dribbles the ball in the Lady Huskies’ 38-36 defeat to River Valley on Dec. 14, 2023.

River Valley head coach Thomas Zaragoza told the Dispatch that Joshi and Byrne left their mark on the program for the players in the years to come. 

Zaragoza said Joshi’s leadership throughout the year was the core leader of the team and Byrne’s dedication and the unselfishness she displayed for whatever it took to get a victory.

Marysville junior guard Demi Boykin (3) shoots a shot in the Lady Indians’ 54-41 loss to Colfax on January 10.

Joshi expressed to the Dispatch that she felt special because of the celebration she has played with her teammates through the years and was grateful for their families who continuously support them.

Byrne told the Dispatch that she didn’t like the attention on her, but she appreciated it and had more fun celebrating after and getting the win.

Joshi said she hopes the players for next season keep working together and play hard.

“Keep working hard, don’t give up and keep playing as a team,” Joshi said.

Byrne added that she wants the girls to keep a positive attitude towards the game. “Attitude is a huge part of the game and I hope they (2024-25 Lady Falcons) take away our composure on how we (her and Joshi) were on the court,” Byrne said.

River Valley senior forward Tanvi Joshi (34) puts the ball up towards the basket in the Lady Falcons’ 36-23 victory on Thursday, February 8, over Yuba City.

Yuba City loses four seniors to graduation this upcoming spring including Kirpa Bains, Sophia Arden, Mia Beltran and Josie Carrick.

Lady Honkers Assistant Coach Caitlyn Kenny told the Dispatch that the senior players showed a lot of will and grit throughout the game.

She added that they progressed throughout the year from the beginning, and the impact they left on the program is being good role models.

“They showed leadership at practice and off the court and showed the younger girls the ropes of basketball,” Kenny said.

She added the impact they had on the three freshman players for Yuba City and that they were older sisters to them.

CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs 

The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Marysville, Sutter Union and Faith Christian High School made it into the California Interscholastic Federation basketball playoffs as the brackets were released on Saturday, February 10.

The Marysville boys basketball team was given the No. 12 seed in the Division IV bracket and traveled to Escalon on Tuesday evening. The Indians had a three-game winning streak heading into the first round of the playoffs and finished the second half of Pioneer Valley League play 5-2.

The Sutter boys basketball team was handed the No. 11 seed in the Division IV playoff bracket and played Tuesday night in Orangevale at Casa Roble. The Huskies beat Casa Roble on Dec. 19, 2023 in a tight 70-66 battle. The Huskies’ 18 regular-season win total this season tied their highest in program history since the 2009-10 season.

The Faith Christian boys basketball team was the eighth seed in the Division VI bracket and hosted Vacaville Christian Tuesday evening as they were one of the two first round games played in the Division VI bracket. The winner of the game traveled down near Merced and played at Stone Ridge Christian in the second round.

The Marysville girls basketball team was given the No. 2 in the Division IV bracket as the co-Pioneer Valley League champions. This was the first league title the Lady Indians have won since 1975 and hosted the winner of Dixon/Venture Academy (Stockton) on Tuesday night. This was the third consecutive 20-plus win season for Marysville Head Coach Ike Prince.

The Sutter girls basketball team also made the playoffs for the Division IV bracket and was the No. 13 seed and traveled to the Riverbank, who was the 2023 CIF SJS Division IV runner-up. This is the second consecutive year Sutter has made the SJS playoffs with a .500 regular season and league record.

The Faith Christian girls basketball team was given the first overall seed in the Division VI bracket for the second consecutive year. Faith Christian was given a first round bye and played the winner of Vacaville Christian/Stockton Christian. The Lady Lions had an eight-game win streak heading into their game last night.