As the Dinuba Girls Basketball team look forward to a successful season, they’re looking to move past the middle of the pack season of last year. It wasn’t a disappointment of a season but certainly not a historical season as the goal for every year for any team is to win their division championship. They finished with a 16-13 (.552) record against their competition. Against league play, they posted a 6-4 record, which made them 3rd in the West Yosemite League rankings (WYL). Their season came to an end as they lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs to Santa Maria in the Division IV Central Section Playoffs.
With ten out of eleven roster spots solidified by returning players, Dinuba will have a lot of chemistry with their experience playing ball with each other. Starting Guard, Jalissa Espirito is a main focal point for the team, as she averaged 14.0 points per game (PPG), which led the team in points as a Junior.
Their feet first hit the court on November 14th, in which they played the neighboring cross town rivals, Orosi Cardinals at home for a scrimmage. They start the season head first into the Redwood tournament, which starts on November 21st through the 23rd. The girls first regular season game is against Hanford West at home on December 3rd. League play starts for the girls on January 9th, against the Hanford Bullpups at home, where they won a game a piece last year against each other.
The boys on another hand, had an incredible year in which the Dinuba Boys basketball team went 29-4 (.878) and 10-0 in league play, they’re looking to bounce back in a massive way. They won the Central Section Division II playoffs this past season as they rattled off 17 straight wins to get to that point. There are seven returning players from last year’s roster which will help the familiarity for the team. They’re highlighted by Senior Guard, Josiah Ochoa, who averaged 14.5 points per game (PPG).
The boys had their first taste of the court on November 19th against Redwood for a scrimmage at home. From December 11-14, Dinuba participates in their first tournament which is played at home. The Andrew Bedoya Holiday Classic is an annual tournament Dinuba High School hosts every year. Last year they finished off victorious in their lone home tournament as they beat Selma in a nail biting 1st place game, as they won 55-51.The regular season starts on Friday, November 22nd against El Diamante at home for their first game of the year. League play, in which they went undefeated in last year, starts against the Hanford Bullpups on the road on January 9 of next year.
