YC’S Dhaliwal eclipses 1,000 career points in win over River Valley Yuba College men extend win streak at College of Alameda
The moment that everyone inside Honker gymnasium on the campus of Yuba City High School was waiting for almost did not happen on Friday night.
Karine Dhaliwal, a senior and four-year player for the Yuba
City High girls basketball team, entered the team’s rivalry match against crosstown foe River
Valley seven points shy of the 1,000-point milestone for her career.
Yet through 16 minutes, Dhaliwal was very un-dhaliwal like, after missing a pair of free throws and two decent-look 3-pointers through the first half against RV. The senior perimeter threat finished the half with just two points as YC was clinging to a 21-14 lead on RV.
“In the first half I was really nervous and stressed,” Dhaliwal said.
The light finally clicked in the third and Dhaliwal got the moment she and her peers were searching for when at the 2 minute, 48 second-mark Dhaliwal canned a 3 from the right side for her eighth point in the game and 1,001 in her career.
“It couldn’t have been more perfect for her to get that 1,000th point on a 3-point shot,” YC firstyear head coach Michelle Brazil said. “That’s her shot and she did it the way she has earned all of her points. It was such a moment for us.”
Dhaliwal finished with 18 points to help YC wrap up the first win over RV this year, 51-34. In her career Dhaliwal stands at 1,011 points.
“It takes a lot of motivation to do this,” Dhaliwal said. “During the summers, I wake up at 6 a.m. and I do weight training and basketball training. It takes a lot of commitment to get here.”
Dhaliwal has dealt with a lot of adversity during her YC career. Most notably a pandemic that forced Dhaliwal and the Honkers to miss many games. Dhaliwal’s sophomore season – her first full year on varsity – she missed multiple games and opportunities to pad the point total.
“She has played all four years and the part I find commendable is she accomplished those points during two years of COVID where their games were severely limited,” Brazil said. “To still reach that mark playing fewer games than a normal season is impressive.”
Dhaliwal did not play a full season until junior year when she averaged 16 points to lead YC to a 15-10 season and spot in the Sac-joaquin Section D-II playoffs.
This year, while it has been a struggle from a wins standpoint, as YC came into Friday’s contest 5-10, Dhaliwal still maintains a scoring presence for the
Honkers, averaging 12.2 points per game.
Dhaliwal and the team are hoping Friday’s milestone can help springboard YC to a successful second half of the Capital Valley Conference season.
YC opens the week on Thursday at home against Woodcreek, a team ranked No. 14 in the Maxpreps SJS computer rankings.
YC won’t meet RV again until Feb. 10 at River Valley. It will undoubtedly be a game that Dhaliwal and the team have circled again, but for different reasons than Friday night.
“You have to beat your rival or it is the end,” Dhaliwal said.
Dhaliwal was aided Friday by 13 points from Lauren Nelson and six off the hand of Mia Beltran, who Dhaliwal found several times in the first half for buckets.
For RV (1-20, 0-6 CVC), the Falcons were led by Tanvi Joshi’s 16 points and 13 from Reet Bains.
“What we can take away (from Friday) is all year we have been working on
controlling the ball and going into contact,” RV head coach Devyn Dahlstrom said. “All year we have been (going) into contact and trying to create those layups, so that they get onto the free-throw line.”
RV hosts Inderkum Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Pierce 54, Live Oak 31
The Lions scored just two points in the third to fall in a Sac Valley League contest on Friday.
Olivia Salazar led Live Oak with 10 in defeat.
Prep boys basketball
Colusa 46, Durham 43 Isaiah Travis dropped 15, while Landon Humphrey provided 13 points in a come-from-behind win at Durham Friday.
The victory was Colusa’s 16 straight, improving the Redhawks to 16-4 overall and 6-0 in the SVL.
Men’s basketball
Yuba College 86, Alameda 64
Four Yuba College players scored in double figures, led by Cam Niles’ 18 points, as the 49ers took down College of Alameda on the road in a Bay Valley Conference game Friday.
Devon Malcolm chipped in 15 points, RJ smith 13 and Demarreya Lewis-cooper had 11 for Yuba College (18-2, 8-0 BVC) during the team’s 12th straight win.
The 49ers host College of Marin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the frontend of a doubleheader with the women’s game.