In the movie "Ground Hog Day" actor Bill Murray gets stuck on the same day and can't get out of it. Every morning he wakes up and the new day proceeds exactly as the previous day. He is in the quintessential rut. It seems to this observer (and Charger fan) that the ACGC girls' basketball team is going through something that resembles "Ground Hog Day."

Last night the Charger girls lost to Woodward-Granger for the second time this season, 46-36, on the Hawks home court. It looked very much like the previous game with W-G (a 32-30 loss on January 4) and numerous other Charger losses this season. Specifically, the twenty plus turnovers per game continue to be the achilles heal of a team that saw hopes for a winning season diminish considerably.

On paper it appeared that the Chargers had the upper hand, as they went into the game averaging 45 points per game while W-G was scoring at just a 28 ppg clip. The ACGC shooting percentage was also considerably better, 37% to 29%. And the Chargers were second in assists in WCAC games with 161, while W-G was last with 66. On the other hand, the Chargers had the dubious distinction of leading the conference in turnovers with 295, while the Hawks had committed 180. And therein lies the problem.

The turnover bugaboo spelled the difference in last night's game, as it has in several previous games. ACGC committed 28 miscues leading to 27 W-G points. Meanwhile, the Hawks turned the ball over 15 times, but the Chargers could only convert those into 6 points. So, a 21 point advantage to the Hawks. And that's the game.

Of course there were other factors that resulted in the defeat. The Hawks outscored the Chargers from beyond the arc, 12-0, and from the free throw line 20-14. But the turnovers were the biggest problem. It is as if the ACGC players don't see the defenders when they pass the ball in the direction of a teammate. So, the ball gets intercepted or tipped and is recovered by the opponents.

Shooting percentages were similar last night, with ACGC hitting 11 of 33 shots for 33%, while W-G made 11 of 34 for 32%. Both teams shot 67% from the charity strip, as W-G was 20 of 30 and the Chargers were 14 of 21.

The Chargers were in the game throughout, trailing by a 10-6 margin after the first quarter and 21-14 at the half. The Hawks remained in front through the third quarter, leading by a 30-24 margin. A mini rally including "G" Hoover's basket and Chloe Largent's basket and two free throws put the Chargers within two points at 32-30 with five and a half minutes remaining in the game. But that is as close as ACGC could get, as the Hawks converted on 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Chloe Largent demonstrated what she is capable of in the post, as she led the Chargers with 16 points and 9 rebounds. She also led the team in steals with 4 and had 3 blocked shots. No other Charger hit double figures in scoring--Jorja Hoover came closest with 7 points. Hoover, Sierra O'Brien, and Jadeyn Carrick each had 2 assists.

The loss drops the season record to 9 wins and 11 losses. The regular season finale is this Thursday when the Chargers will entertain West Central Valley in a game scheduled for 6 PM with the boys game to follow. Go Chargers!

Score by quarter:

ACGC 6 8 10 12--36

W-G 10 11 9 16--46

Box score:

FG 3PT FT O-D AST STL TP

Campbell 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Largent 6-11 0-1 4-6 4-5 0 4 16

JHoover 2-3 0-0 3-5 2-2 2 1 7

O'Brien 0-3 0-1 2-2 0-2 2 0 2

KyYoung 1-4 0-0 0-0 3-2 0 1 2

Carrick 0-4 0-2 3-4 0-6 2 0 3

GHoover 1-5 0-3 0-0 2-4 1 1 2

KeYoung 1-3 0-0 2-3 0-1 1 0 4