Check out pictures from the girls and boys last regular season game.

The girls finished the season 8-2 in league and 19-8 overall for the year, placing them at the 12th seed for the Division 3 tournament. The Girls will play this Tuesday against the 5th seeded, East Union, who the Rams actually played in the first round of the playoffs last year. The Rams are very excited to get another shot at East Union and another shot at going deep into the playoffs.

The Boys team finished the season 6-4 in league and 18-9 overall for the year, placing them at the 16th seed for the Division 3 tournament. This Wednesday, the Rams will play the number 1 seed in the Division 3 tournament, the Foothill Mustangs. The Mustangs are an old Dixon rival back when Dixon and Foothill were in the CVC. The Rams are looking forward to making the playoffs since it has been 3 years since their last appearance.

So we all should be very excited for the girls and boys teams for working so hard and delivering a fun and exciting year to Dixon. Both teams hope to see a strong support from the Barnyard and the school when they take on their opponents in the playoffs. Good Luck Rams!!!

Use these links to look at the brackets for both the Boys & Girls:

Boys Basketball: http://cifsjs.org/sports/winter/basketball/boysbb/bkbboysd3bracket_12.pdf

Girls Basketball: http://cifsjs.org/sports/winter/basketball/girlsbb/bkbgirlsd3bracket_12.pdf

To start the first quarter, the Rams were overwhelmed to start this game. The Rams were not ready for this Indians team as they would start the game by hitting a three and getting a hard solid dunk from their center, Brandon Graves. The Indians would go on a 7-0 run to start the quarter before the Rams were able to get on the board and climb back into this game. The Rams would then hit a couple more free throws and baskets to climb back into this game. Despite the comeback, the Indians continued to play really well and would close out the quarter up 18 to 11.

The Rams would take this deficit to heart as they came out in the second quarter, really ready to go. The Rams came out right away and attacked the Indians with their defense and started to get a couple more fast break points. The Rams would then take a lead 23 to 22 with a basket from Cory Sorenson. After that basket, the Rams never looked back. They would fight to keep their lead for the entire quarter, but finally would hold off the Indians to have the lead at half 34 to 30.

The Rams once again in the third quarter continued to lay down the law and put a hurting on the Indians team. The Rams would use their defense to their advantage and just outplay the Indians. The Indians also began to get lazy on defense in the third quarter due to being tired; the Rams would head to the free throw line many times and use their free throws to open up their lead. The Rams would go on a 20 to 9 run in this quarter, and would have a 54 to 39 lead by the end of the quarter.

Though the Rams were outplaying the Indians in the second and third quarter, the Indians still didn’t quit in this game, especially the Indians forward Brandon Graves who scored 8 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Indians would keep the pace with the Rams, but would never climb back into the game. The Rams would maintain their lead for the rest of the quarter and would go onto win 70 to 56.

The Rams once again in this game showed their dominance in this league, and, though the Indians put everything they had into this game, the Rams still were able to pull together this win. The Rams got a couple of great performances in this game from senior guard Michael Tomelloso, who scored 18 points, had 7 assists, and 5 steals. The Rams also got a great game from senior forward Bryan Hollowell, who scored 13 points, had 11 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot.

The Rams are now looking to see who their next opponent is for the playoffs and are looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. The Rams will find out who they play Sunday and will play them on Wednesday for the first round of the playoffs. The Rams are really looking to have success in the playoffs and hope that their season won’t end on Wednesday.

People of all ages celebrate the fourteenth of February every year. Young or old, single or not, you can still pay close attention to the love in the air. What about the teenagers in the world? Do they celebrate Valentine’s Day as well as the most mature adults? I found out what the students at Dixon High School think about it.

Surprisingly, many students at DHS celebrate Valentine’s Day. If you step on campus on February 14th, you will see many people carrying presents. Whether it be chocolates, teddy bears, roses, or candy, you are almost guaranteed to see most people with them. Now being in high school, relationships seem to be very popular and just a normal thing. Most students get these gifts from their boyfriends/girlfriends, but friends also show their love for each other as well.

Franklin Quitugua is a Junior at DHS. “Honestly, I have never paid much attention to Valentine’s Day until I got a girlfriend to celebrate it with,” he said. This is Franklin’s first Valentine’s Day with a valentine, his girlfriend. He doesn’t see a reason for it to not be a holiday, and he thinks that it is cool seeing everybody going around school holding presents from other people.

Marissa Lee is a Senior who happened to be single this Valentine’s Day. “I really like Valentine’s Day,” she says. “I think that it is a super cute holiday with a reason for people to spread the love.” However, she is not really sure if she thinks that it should be a national holiday because there should be a historical event that makes it one, like Christmas or Easter, which have historical backgrounds.”Sometimes it just seems like a commercial holiday so stores can sell stuff.” She thinks that it is a great day for people in relationships because they get to carry around cute presents, but for single people it is sort of depressing. “Unless you have good friends who get you presents, then that is fun! But I personally think that it is adorable when couples get each other gifts,” says Lee.

Georgie Garcia enjoys Valentine’s Day as well. He enjoys all holidays, so he supposes that he enjoys this one too. “I like it because it gives people a chance to show that they care about someone who is dear to them,” says Garcia. Even though he is single, he still can appreciate the holiday.

Jordan Bhanji is a Junior with a very different opinion on the holiday. “I think Valentine’s Day is dumb,” he says. He thinks that it is just a way for Hallmark and other greeting card companies to make money. “It’s not really celebrating anything, and it is not a necessary holiday.” He thinks that people bringing each other gifts at school on the actual day is distracting and pointless.

Overall, Valentine’s Day can be very confusing holiday. People have very strong opinions about it, but it will probably always remain a day to celebrate.

When I did this for Pikachu, my domestic shorthair tabby, I found out her style was “funky”. This wasn’t a big surprise- Pika spends at least 18 hours a day just sitting on my bed, growling at our other pets when they walk in. Definitely unique. You may have an intuitive sense about your cat’s style, too, but it’s best to leave it to the experts at sites like kidzworld.com. My sister’s cat, a Persian named Enya, has girly taste. Nobody saw that coming.

Now that you know what kind of taste the cat has, it’s time to put together an outfit! If the sky is the limit as far as funds go, head to a specialty miniature clothes provider like Build-a-Bear Workshop or Babies-R-Us. You’ll have a wide variety of options at any venue like this. For the best possible fit, have your cat’s measurements on hand.

Working on a budget? Cats are approximately the size of babies, and since most cat owners have been infants at one point or another, they are likely to have some pre-worn tiny clothes on hand. Some quick modifications, like using scissors for that punk rock look or stapling a fun flower on, can really mix up the look.

The final step is the most challenging. While your cat will love their new look, it may be difficult to talk them into wearing it. Use some wet treats or canned food to distract them, and be sure to wear long sleeves so that they’ll have a harder time causing permanent damage or scarring. It’ll be worth it, though, to see their smiling faces when you’re done!

Congratulations– you are now the proud owner of a civilized cat. Have fun showing them off around town.

Picture by: macfrenzie.tumblr.com

Dance Moms follows several young girls and their mothers who go to dance competitions all over the country dancing for the Abby Lee Miller Dance Studio.  All of the girls on the show are very talented and dedicated to dance.  Their mothers, however, are portrayed as petty, rude, confrontational, and basically drama queens.  Now, their behavior may be exaggerated because cameras are on them, but whether or not this is the case, they are setting a poor example for their children.  They constantly argue with the instructor and among themselves right in front of the kids, and they don’t seem to care if their kids are upset by this.  It seems like they just want their kid to be at the top of the pyramid (an evaluation tool the instructor uses to reward the dancer who performed the best) so they can rub it in the other moms’ faces.  One mother tells her daughter she will give her $20.00 if she performs well (the show never mentioned if the kid got the 20 bucks).  What kind of message does that send to an 8 year old kid?  The kids try not to get caught up in the drama, but it is inevitable that some of their mother’s toxic behavior is bound to rub off on them.

Picture by: electricspoofaloo.com

Another reality program that shows parents behaving badly is Toddlers and Tiaras.  The show depicts the extreme measures, not to mention financial expense, that parents will go to just so their child can get a cheap crown and a $100.00 savings bond.  Frequently on the show, you see parents giving their two, three, and four-year old children one pixie stick after another just to keep them awake to go up on stage to pose like a doll for 60 seconds.  Even when the kids are saying they hate pageants and they want to go home, the parents keep forcing them to dress up, spray tan, and wear ridiculous costumes just so they can say their kid was the Ultimate Supreme winner of some pageant.

Parents behaving badly is nothing new.  In the 1990′s, a woman in Texas plotted to have her daughter’s cheerleading rival’s mother killed.  She figured that if the rival’s mother was dead that the rival would be so devastated that she wouldn’t go out for the cheer squad and then her daughter would be guaranteed a position on the squad.  Fortunately, the plot was found out and no one was hurt.  It doesn’t get much more extreme than that.

As an obsessive viewer of these television shows, I do not condone the actions of these parents but I have to say it is like watching a train wreck that you don’t want to look but you can’t help it.  It definitely helps to show  how parents should NOT behave if they don’t want to look like complete fools.  But who am I to judge, it’s their life.

When a person has a potentially debilitating genetic anomaly like chondrodysplasia, it’s expected that they’ll meet with a genetic counselor before trying to have a child. Both the person with the condition and their partner will be tested, and the likelihood of it being inherited is evaluated. This is done to minimize the chance of having nonviable or seriously disabled offspring. In dogs, though, the same mutations are deliberately brought about.

Dog breeding, to the extent that it was ever centered primarily on function, certainly isn’t anymore. Vanity and blind devotion to the familiar has led to breeders, both experienced and amateur, handicapping the Canis lupus familiaris species.

Efforts to restore utility have been made. The Australian labradoodle, for example, is a hybrid between Labradors and poodles, with Irish Water Spaniel and other spaniel breeds infused. The aims of the breed’s developers were to create a dog with a low to non-shedding coat, easygoing temperament, and high trainability. Some describe hybrid “breeds” as designer dogs, and say the price tags (often over $1000) are a scam. But what makes purebred dogs more valuable? Generations of inbreeding?

While animal husbandry is not inherently negative for the species involved, it is important that genetic defects or traits that damage the creature’s health are not propagated alongside desirable aesthetics. The very act of breeding a litter of purebred puppies is taking four to twelve potential homes from already existent dogs, who will join the millions euthanized in shelters each year.

The Rams in the first quarter did what they have done all year, and that is control their opponent through great defense. Though the Rams only scored 14 points in the quarter, their fast defense only allowed 3 points to the Mavericks for all of the first quarter. The Rams would go on to control this quarter to be up 14 to 3.

The Rams in the second quarter would do a lot of the same as they did in the first quarter: play great defense and get a lot of fast break points. They shot a lot better in the second quarter than they did in the first, hitting 8 out of 12 shots to make 21 points to the Mavericks four. The Rams defense proved once again to be the key factor as they went on to close off the half up 34 to 7.

The Rams in the second half continued their rampage on the Mavericks and would dominate the Mavericks for the entire quarter. In this quarter, they shot with a high efficiency, shooting 8 for 12 from the field and 2 for 2 at the free throw line. The Rams would continue this great shooting for the entire quarter and went on to extend their lead by the end of the quarter 54 to 14.

Being that the score was at a 40 point deficit, the quarter would be a running quarter. The Rams unlike the previous two quarters weren’t able to shoot as well as they did. They would only score 1 point the entire fourth quarter, but despite the weak offense, the Rams would only allow 2 points to the Mavericks. The Rams would go onto finish this great win 55 to 16.

The Rams once again proved their dominance on the defensive side on the ball, but in this game, the Rams did help themselves through great percentage scoring. They shot 19-38 from the field, and just stayed very efficient all game long on offense, trying not to do too much but still playing great offense. The Rams called on their defense to do the majority of the work, and once again, they succeeded. The Rams had 23 steals in this game, opening themselves to plenty of extra possessions and really shutting down the Mavericks to nothing on offense for the entire game.

The Rams need to keep playing well because in the upcoming week, the Rams will be in the post season and they need to play their best basketball right now. It’s time for the Rams to pull it together and finish their last game of the year strong to have momentum going into the playoffs. The Rams have played well all year long and it would be great to see them finish off the year in the post-season.

Team Name          W-L-T (League)      Pct%    W-L-T (Overall)   Pct%    PF      PA    STRK

West Campus            8-0-0                   1.000           18-5-0           0.762    1249     961    14 W

Dixon                       6-2-0                    0.750           17-8-0           0.652    1375     1019    2 W

Capital Christian        5-3-0                    0.625           15-10-0        0.600    1369    1098     1 W

Marysville                 3-5-0                    0.333           13-11-0          0.542     1118   1066      1 L

Mesa Verde              1-6-0                    0.200          5-16-0           0.238     721      1074    6 L

Lindhurst                   0-8-0                   0.000          0-18-0           0.000     392     1028   18 L

Boys Basketball

Team Name           W-L-T (League)     Pct%    W-L-T (Overall)  Pct%      PF      PA       STRK

Capital Christian       8-0-0                   1.000            21-4-0            .840     1766      1237     14 W

Lindhurst                  7-1-0                   0.875             19-6-0           .760    1648     1294       3 W

Dixon                        4-4-0                  0.500           16-9-0           .640      1728      1558       2 L

West Campus             3-5-0                  0.375            8-16-0            .333       1350       1505    1 W

Marysville                  2-6-0                  0.250           8-15-0           .348        1187     1418      1 L

Mesa Verde               0-8-0                   0.000          8-17-0          .320       1212      1465     2 L