Tracy’s boys’ basketball started off the season with wins against Mountain House, 61-40, and Kimball, 64-62. They lost to West in the Foundation game, which doesn’t count against their record, 70-66. Tracy defeated Ceres, 64-60, in the Stagg Tournament, but lost to Sonora, 71-61, and Bear Creek, 59-43, on Dec. 3-5.

Against West, junior Marcellous Starling had a big game by scoring in double figures in his first varsity game.

“It was so nerve racking because there were so many people there on such a big stage,” Starling said.

Even though it turned out to be a close loss, Starling was a big contributor because of his strong offensive performance, defensive play, and rebounding.

Cueva explained how the sophomores and juniors are helping the team.

“The young guys have contributed well. They play big minutes for us and are continuing their growth,” head coach Junior Cueva said.

“They are doing what they have to do, and doing pretty good at it. The future of Tracy High is going to be looking nice,” senior Omar Sarway, starting center, said.

With sophomore and junior players in Matthew McDonald, Rory Hanson, Miles Turner, Jake Johnson, Skyler Oki, and Starling having big number of minutes off the bench for the Bulldogs this year. Sarway, Johnson, Turner, Starling, and McDonald are the starters for the Bulldogs.

“I think we need to work on team chemistry, passing the ball a lot more, getting some ball movement going around, and trusting in each other,” Sarway said.

These things will be key for Tracy throughout the season as the team looks to get better each game.“It didn’t go as well as we expected the tournament, but we look to bounce back,” Starling said.

Off of two losses in the Stagg Tournament, Tracy looks to rebound in the games this week.

Cueva feels that the early games against the rivals Kimball and West will benefit the team because of the tight games and the ability to go back to look at video and get better.

Sarway is in his last season at Tracy were he looks to be the captain and leader of the team.“The one who has stood out the most is Omar, he is really turning into a leader,” Cueva said.

Tracy’s next home game is against Central Valley on Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs play against Lathrop on Dec. 17, at 4:30 p.m. in the Tracy Winter Classic at West High.