The Weston Ranch Cougars girls basketball team defeated Sierra 59-56 last night at Weston Ranch. The win was the first in the VOL for the Cougars and their fifth overall. Weston Ranch used a late 8-0 run to finish out the game and finish off Sierra.

The game was another exciting one for the Cougars, who lost a heartbreaker on January 13th to Manteca 45-44. In that game, the Cougars stormed back to pull within one point of the Buffaloes but couldn’t deliver the winning points. However, Weston Ranch showed that they learned from that defeat and found the way to close out the game against Sierra. But, the game was not without some mistakes that nearly cost the Cougars a well-deserved victory.

“We made some bad passes and forgot some defense assignments, and that helped them (Sierra) finish so close,” head coach Damion McMiller told The Prowl.

The Cougars have improved their defense and, according to McMiller, the offense depends on the defense to create opportunities.

“Once again, our defense sparked our offense, and no matter what we are up against, we find a way to stay in the game and compete.”

Junior Janay Holmes led the Cougars in scoring with 31 points. She also contributed six assists and made five steals. Anisa Hekimian scored nine points had six blocked shots and nine rebounds. Kimani Wilburn added eight points of her own to round out the scoring.

The Cougars will play next at Kimball on January 20th.