Bethel High girls basketball team advances in playoffs

Jaguars use fourth-quarter run to pull away from Del Norte in NCS Division III opener

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Jesse Bethel High School girls basketball team used an 8-0 fourth-quarter run, buoyed by hard-fought rebounds, defensive effort and steals, to pull away from Del Norte and collect a 49-41 victory in Tuesday's North Coast Section Division III playoff opener.

Why it matters

The win sends Bethel to the NCS Division III quarterfinals, where they will face No. 2 seed Benicia on Friday. The Jaguars narrowly lost to the Panthers 52-49 earlier this season, so this matchup will be a rematch of two of the top teams in the division.

The details

Bethel junior Janine Terrones-Ruelas was key in the fourth-quarter run, grabbing two crucial offensive rebounds that led to Jaguar baskets. Junior D'ani Butcher led Bethel with 23 points, while junior Zarriah Hall added 14 points and six steals. Del Norte made five 3-pointers in the game, but Bethel's defense clamped down in the fourth quarter to hold them scoreless for over four minutes.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, February 18, 2026.

The players

Janine Terrones-Ruelas

A junior on the Bethel High girls basketball team who had two key offensive rebounds during the Jaguars' fourth-quarter run.

D'ani Butcher

The junior point guard for Bethel High, who led the team with 23 points in the win.

Zarriah Hall

A junior on the Bethel High girls basketball team, who scored 14 points and had six steals in the victory.

Raquel Torres

The head coach of the Bethel High girls basketball team.

Jaylee Keeling

A sophomore guard for Del Norte High School who made two 3-pointers in the game.

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What they’re saying

“When you see your teammates going fast, you pick up the pace and the whole team comes together and mixes well. It's like the ingredients. When you're in the kitchen, you can't leave out certain ingredients.”

— Zarriah Hall, Bethel High junior (timesheraldonline.com)

“She's been a physical force for us all year who doesn't always show in the stat sheet. She's the toughness of our team.”

— Raquel Torres, Bethel High head coach (timesheraldonline.com)

“That's exactly what I asked her and the team to do. Go out there and punch first. We know how it feels to have other teams jump on us first, so I told them it's really big to protect your house, set the tone and be as aggressive as you can.”

— Raquel Torres, Bethel High head coach (timesheraldonline.com)

“The three has been hot and cold for us all season. The biggest thing for me is for them to get to the basket. If we draw them into the basket and we're able to kick out, we get a little bit more momentum and rhythm in those shots.”

— Raquel Torres, Bethel High head coach (timesheraldonline.com)

“I tell them every single detail matters, the way you set a screen matters, the way you box out matters, the shot that you take, the pass that you make, even down to the bench, your energy down on the bench matters. Every single thing compounds like compound interest.”

— Raquel Torres, Bethel High head coach (timesheraldonline.com)

What’s next

The seventh-seeded Bethel High girls basketball team will face No. 2 seed Benicia in the NCS Division III quarterfinals on Friday. Bethel narrowly lost to Benicia 52-49 earlier this season, so this will be a rematch of two of the top teams in the division.

The takeaway

Bethel's ability to grind out a playoff win through hustle plays like offensive rebounds and defensive stops shows the team's toughness and attention to detail. If the Jaguars can carry that same intensity into the quarterfinal matchup with Benicia, they have a chance to pull the upset and advance even further in the postseason.