Everyone around Tuolumne resident Jerry Fischer seemed to become silent as he rolled the final ball of his first-ever perfect 300-game.

“Honestly, I felt pretty nervous,” Fischer said by telephone Wednesday night. “Your legs kind of feel like spaghetti in the 10th frame and then on the last ball everybody stops bowling to watch and it gets really bad.”

However, Fischer didn’t let the pressure get to him and nailed his 12th strike in-a-row to accomplish one of the sport’s rarest of feats.

No amount of experience could have prepared first-year Bret Harte basketball head coach Jeff Eltringham for the past week.

Bret Harte students and the surrounding community have been devastated by the untimely deaths of two students who were killed Saturday in an apparent murder-suicide.

Philip Marshall, 54, is suspected of shooting and killing his two children, Alex and Macaila Marshall, before turning the gun on himself.

Alex, 17, was a junior at the time of his death. He played baseball and varsity football for the Bullfrogs. His sister, Macailia, 14, was a freshman.

“We’re trying to keep things really light with them,” Eltringham said of recent practices. “I told them if they didn’t want to play just let me know and I’d completely understand because everyone grieves in different ways, but all of them wanted to play.”

Sonora's Bryanna Owens (22, left) shoots a layup on Tuesday against Lathrop at Bud Castle Gym. Amy Alonzo Rozak / The Union Democrat.

Gardella, in a span of five minutes between the first and second quarters, scored 12 straight Wildcat points, including three straight putbacks off offensive rebounds — and was fouled on each.

“She had what, something like three or four 3-point plays,” said Wildcat head coach Amy Santos. “She was on fire. I love her intensity. I really love her intensity. I love how excited she gets and she was great tonight.”

“We worked a lot in practice on getting fouled but still trying to put the ball in the hole,” said Gardella. “I just decided that I would go up strong as I could and they kept fouling me which was nice.”

The Summerville Bear boys’ basketball team clinched complete ownership of the 2012-13 Mother Lode League title Tuesday night after defeating the Calaveras Redskins 46-41 in Tuolumne.

Calaveras had the upper hand early in the game, outscoring the Bears 12-8 in the first quarter. But Summerville came back in the second to take a narrow 17-15 lead at the break.

Bear Colton Ebbers (54) shoots a jumper in the lane Friday night in Tuolumne.

After having just defeated Argonaut 61-45, the Bears simply shook hands with the opposing Mustangs and walked humbly to their locker room. 

But as several Bears explained, that’s because they have more to accomplish in an already stellar season that has seen Summerville go 12-0 against MLL competition.

“It feels good but you still want other things,” said Bear co-captain Rosendo Amaya-Wood of earning a share of the MLL crown. “Our next step is undefeated in league, after that it’s win the section, then win games in state playoffs. We’re always looking forward.”

Reedley bounced back from Columbia’s 42-39 halftime lead to defeat the Claim Jumpers 82-68 in a Central Valley Conference hoops battle on Saturday. 

Columbia point guard Jarron Crump led the Claim Jumpers from long range with four of the team’s seven total 3-pointers on the night. 

The Sonora Wildcat boys hoopsters were defeated 52-44 on Friday night by its host, the Lathrop Spartans.

The Wildcats could hardly buy a field goal from the floor, shooting just 27 percent for the game, including 2 for 13 from beyond the 3-point line.

The Spartans, who were celebrating their homecoming, out-rebounded the Wildcats 35-29.

The Sonora Wildcat girls got dialed in from long distance on Thursday night to defeat host Sierra 59-45.

Sonora hit seven from 3-point range, including three by Stephanie Chung and two each by Bailey Henington and Jessie Fong.