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Cheyenne Shepherd makes her way around a Los Medanos defender Wednesday night.

The Solano women’s basketball team recovered from a disappointing loss last Friday to post a 48-38 win over first-place Los Medanos on Wednesday.

With the win, the Faclons and Mustangs are now tied atop the Bay Valley Conference Valley Division with one loss apiece.

Ruby Leon led the offense with 13 points. The sophomore guard added three rebounds, three assists and three steals. She was the only Falcon to reach double-figure scoring.

Solano (12-9, 4-1) held Los Medanos to its lowest scoring total of the season while the 48 points was the Falcons’ lowest scoring output in a victory this year.

Tara Cooley finished with nine points, including four in the last two minutes of the game that sealed the victory. She also had two rebounds and four steals. Cheyenne Shepherd came off the bench to score seven points on 3 of 4 shooting. She also had four rebounds.

Shannon Rankin, who averages 13 points per game, was held to six points but had 10 rebounds.

For the second straight game, Solano struggled to find the bottom of the basket. But unlike in its loss to Mendocino on Friday, the Falcons were able to overcome a poor offensive showing by making up for it on defense. The Falcons shot just 28 percent from the field and 16 percent from the 3-point line. They turned the ball over just 12 times and recorded 14 steals.

The Falcons have a bye on Friday before traveling to Kentfield to take on College of Marin next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Click here for more photos from the game.

The Falcons led 4-0 before the Eagles exploded on offense to take a 23-11 lead minutes into the game. It was only the second time Solano fell to Mendocino, the last defeat occurring in 2004.

“We weren’t very good,” said Solano coach Matt Borchert. “We couldn’t make a basket and had a tough time matching up with them on defense.”

Solano led 49-47 with 5:32 to go in the game, but Mendocino capitalized on its offensive possessions to seal the victory. Solano shot 22 percent in the second half and 11 percent from the 3-point line for the game.

Tara Cooley led the Falcons with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Shannon Rankin added 12 points and 14 rebounds while Ruby Leon, the Bay Valley Conference Valley Division’s second-leading scorer, added 11 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Marissa Dunn had eight points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.

 The Falcons grabbed 30 offensive rebounds and blocked a season-high 9 shots.

Solano (11-9, 3-1)  hosts the division’s first-place team, Los Medanos, on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Alesa Gilmore scored a career-high 19 points Wednesday night against Merritt.

Freshman guard Alesa Gilmore scored 19 points to lead the Solano women’s basketball team to an 87-29 win over Merritt College on Wednesday. Alesa connected on 5 of 11 from the 3-point line and added three rebounds, four assists and two steals in the victory. The Falcons hit 11 treys in all.

Solano shot 34 percent from beyond the arc against the winless Thunderbirds, taking a commanding 41-24 lead at half. The Falcons increased the defensive pressure in the second half and didn’t allow a Merritt field goal over the final 20 minutes of play.

“They really got after it on the defensive end,” said Solano coach Matt Borchert. “I was happy with the pressure we applied and that we were able to get steals and turn them into easy baskets. We still have improvements to make, but it was great to see everyone contribute tonight.”

Ruby Leon and Marissa Dunn each scored 14 points for the Falcons (11-8, 3-0) while Thaleya Nickson and Tara Cooley chipped in 12 points each. Thaleya and Shannon Rankin led the rebounding effort, pulling down 11 each. Solano grabbed 58 as a team.

Every Solano player scored in the game.

Presley Neufeld dished out seven assists while Kayla Campora had six. Tara added five steals and Ruby, Thaleya and Shannon each had a blocked shot.

Solano, which has won three in a row and seven of its last nine games, travels to Ukiah on Friday to take on Mendocino in a 5:30 p.m. contest.

Click here to view more photos from the game!

Shannon Rankin returned to her hometown, scoring 18 points in a 90-57 win over Napa Valley on Wednesday. The sophomore forward added 11 rebounds and three steals to lead five players in double-figure scoring for the Falcons.

Marissa Dunn continued her hot stretch with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Tara Cooley scored 15 points and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ruby Leon chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and five steals. Thaleya Nickson rounded out Solano’s effort with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. All of Solano’s nine players scored.

Against Yuba on Friday, Ruby scored 20 points to lead the Falcons to a convincing 70-42 victory that was never contested. Solano shot 43 percent from the floor in the first half and used a stifling defense to create Yuba turnovers and turn them into easy baskets.

Ruby added four rebounds, three assists a blocked shot and two steals while Tara had 11 points, four rebounds and five steals. Marissa (12 points, eight rebounds, three steals) and Presley Neufeld (10 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals) also had solid games against the 49ers.

Solano (10-8, 2-0) has won six of its last eight games. The Falcons are the four-time defending conference champions and are looking to make program history by winning five in a row.

Solano returns to its home court with a game against Merritt on Wednesday.

Thaleya Nickson goes up for two of her 15 points against Merced on Friday.

The Solano women’s basketball team finished the preseason with a .500 record after going 1-2 at the Mike Gervasoni Memorial Classic at De Anza College in Cupertino.

The post-Christmas tournament features some of the top teams in Northern California and Solano saw vast improvement as a team while many of the Falcons had breakout games.

Freshman forward Marissa Dunn averaged 18.6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals in the three games while also shooting 62 percent from the field. She scored a season high 23 points against Lassen in the consolation semifinals. Thaleya Nickson, also a freshman, came off the bench in each of the three games to average 11.3 points and 3.6 rebounds. She scored a season high 15 points in the final two games of the tournament.

Solano opened with an 87-62 loss to City College of San Francisco. The Falcons fell behind early to the No. 2 team in the North as the Rams used their athleticism and quickness to overpower Solano.

The Falcons (8-8) stayed alive in the tournament by comfortably beating Lassen 98-48. The 98 points is a season high for SCC. Solano fell in the consolation championship to Merced, 75-70. Merced jumped out to a 17-point advantage early in the first half and controlled most of the game. Solano battled back to cut the lead to 3 with about a minute to go in the game, but couldn’t quite get over the hurdle to take a lead.

“I was proud of the effort, but I would’ve liked to see us be a little more competitive early in the game (against Merced),” said Solano coach Matt Borchert. “Considering our schedule, though, I am very happy with a .500 record heading into the BVC schedule.”

Solano, winners of the last four Bay Valley Conference titles, opens the conference slate on Wednesday, January 4 at Napa Valley College. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m.

Click here to see more photos from the Gervasoni tournament.

Marissa Dunn, left, and Ruby Leon came up with some huge offensive and defensive moments for the Falcons on Saturday night.

The Solano Community College women’s basketball gave itself an early Christmas present on Saturday night in the form of a 62-56 come-from-behind win over Cosumnes River College.

Shannon Rankin scored 13 points and added seven rebounds to lead four Falcons in double figures. Ruby Leon added 12 points, five rebounds, four blocked shots, three steals and two assists while Tara Cooley and Presley Neufeld each scored 11.

Ruby’s four blocked shots is a career high.

Solano trailed 39-27 early in the second half before going on a 14-1 run to take a 41-40 lead with about 16 minutes to go in the game. The Falcons, who struggled to find the bottom of the basket in the first half, controlled the second half by shooting 56 percent from the floor. Cosumnes regained the lead a couple of times in the second half but Solano took it right back and stayed poised down the stretch to secure its season-high third straight win.

“This was a big win for us,” said Solano Coach Matt Borchert. “Cosumnes is a great team and I am very proud of the way our girls played 40 minutes of basketball tonight. They showed a lot of heart and character.”

Marissa Dunn scored eight points and provided a solid presence in the paint against CRC’s 6-foot-2 post player. The freshman also had seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Click here to see more photos from the game.

The Solano women's basketball team celebrates their consolation title after the game on Sunday.

A total team effort helped the Solano women’s basketball team wrap up the consolation title at the Solano Showdown on Sunday with a 58-48 win over Sacramento City College.

Shannon Rankin, who was named all-tournament, led the way for the Falcons with 13 points. Fellow sophomore Tara Cooley added 10 points and seven rebounds. Solano improved to 6-6 on the season.

The Falcons controlled the game in the first half and made a solid statement to end the first half when Presley Neufeld stole the ball twice in the last minute which led to Solano baskets. The team took a 32-18 lead into halftime.

Neufeld scored on the Falcons’ first possession of the second half, extending the lead to 16. Solano eventually led by as many as 17 in the game before Sacramento City finished the game on a 9-2 run to close the gap.

“It was very important that we won this game today,” said Coach Matt Borchert. “We are getting real close to conference games and we have to treat every game like a conference game or a playoff game. The team stepped up the intensity today and I was pleased with their effort.”

Thaleya Nickson added six points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Falcons while Neufeld finished with eight points, seven assists and six of Solano’s 12 steals.

Solano appeared in the consolation championship for the second year in a row, this time coming away with a victory. The Falcons last won the consolation title in 2002.

Solano hosts Cosumnes River College, which won the Showdown by beating De Anza College 67-47 on Sunday, on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Click here for more photos from the game.

The photos are high quality and can be purchased with the click of a mouse directly from the site at reasonable prices. In addition to printing photos, gift options are available. If there’s someone on your list that you just can’t find the right gift for this holiday season, how about giving them a photo of their favorite Falcon?

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Happy Holidays!

Alesa Gilmore sparked a first-half run for the Falcons against Chabot on Saturday.

Shannon Rankin scored 22 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Solano women’s basketball team to a 71-59 win over Chabot in the consolation semifinals of the Solano Showdown on Saturday.

The Falcons controlled the game early, building to a 20-point advantage in the second half.

Alesa Gilmore, who finished with 10 points, ignited a rally in the first half that helped Solano pull away. The freshman guard hit two 3-pointers and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals on the night.

Ruby Leon was the star of the second half for Solano (5-6). The sophomore guard scored 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting. She also had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

Presley Neufeld had a season high 11 assists, two shy of tying the school record for assists in a game. She also scored eight points.

“We played much better today than we did last night,” said Coach Matt Borchert. “It always helps though when the ball goes in the basket.”

Solano shot 42 percent from the floor and 28 percent from the 3-point line. The team also made 7 of 9 free throws.

Solano takes on Sacramento City in the consolation championship Sunday at 11 a.m.

Click here for photos from the game.