West Hills Golden Eagles return home Wednesday following loss to Fresno City

It was certainly a disappointing loss for the Golden Eagles, who played at the same level as the Rams in their first meeting on December 20 in Lemoore.

The Eagles were tied 17-17 at the end of the first period and they appeared headed to another exciting finish. Samantha Earl connected on a 3-point shot at the 8:09 mark of the second period to give the Eagles a 22-20 lead.

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After Fresno recaptured the lead, Tarah Pires connected on a 3-pointer to give her team a 25-23 advantage. But that was the last lead West Hills would enjoy. Combining a well-scripted full-court press with some timely 3-point shooting, Fresno City gradually outdistanced the Lady Golden Eagles.

Still the Rams led the Eagles by just 4 points, 32-28, at the half.

The Rams poured it on in the third period, scoring 33 points to take a 65-43 lead after three periods.

The Golden Eagles will have at least one more opportunity to beat the Rams in the second half of the Central Valley Conference play when they host Fresno on February 3 in the Golden Eagle Arena.

The ladies fell to 1-1 in CVC play. The won their conference opener, a 63-45 victory at Porterville College on January 6. In that contest Michelle Brown again led all scorers with her 16 points inside the paint. Samantha Earl finished with 15 points while Jordan Lassiter finished with 10.

The Golden Eagles return to their imposing arena for a Wednesday night CVC matchup against Reedley College. Game time is 6 p.m.