Devon Lewis saved the day during one of the Will C. Wood High School girls basketball team’s roughest nights of the year.

Lewis also ruined one of Vacaville’s best nights.

Wood’s freshman point guard did a little bit … actually, a lot … of everything as the Wildcats escaped Harold Youngblood Gymnasium with a tense 41-37 victory over their crosstown rivals.

Lewis was in fourth-grade the last time the Wildcats topped the Bulldogs. In fact, Thursday night’s win came five years to the day after Wood’s last victory over Vacaville, a 56-53 overtime win on Jan. 28, 2011.

“I knew it was a long time,” Wood head coach Bob Fernandez said.

Thursday’s game nearly went to overtime as well. Vacaville had the ball trailing 39-37 with eight seconds left, but the Bulldogs fumbled away the inbounds pass.

Lewis scrambled after the loose ball, and frantically dribbled out almost all of the clock before being fouled. Her two free throws with 0.4 seconds left accounted for the final total.

“I just went after it, and then I was just trying to waste the clock,” Lewis said. “We missed a tons of shots, but we still got the win.”

Barely. The Wildcats improved to 3-2 at the midpoint of the Monticello Empire League season.

More at TheReporter.com >>>

A Monticello Empire League-season-opening win wasn’t terribly satisfying for Mark Wudel and the Will C. Wood High School boys basketball team.

A rout in the second game of the MEL slate not only gave the Wildcats sole possession of the league lead, but it gave Wudel and company a much better feeling.

Wood scored the first 11 points of the game and never looked back in a 64-45 blowout over Vintage at Frank Molina Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

“We played much better than we did against Napa,” Wudel said, referring to a 63-51 win over the Indians last Friday. “Early on, we got a lot of rebounds, and then had good outlet passes for easy shots. Even when they did get back on defense, we passed the ball well and never really let them get set up.

“We got up, and then when they did make a run at us, we always held the upper hand. We played really good defense. I’m really roud of our guys.”

The Wildcats held at 18-11 lead after the first quarter, and extended the advantage to 32-21 by halftime.

More at TheReporter.com >>>