Toros win elusive championship

Wendy Alexander/the Madera Tribune

The Matilda Torres Toros girls basketball team celebrates on the stage after winning the 2026 Div. IV Central Section Championship with a 34-23 victory over the Tulare Union Tribe on Friday at Selland Arena. It’s the first basketball title for Torres.

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FRESNO — After making it to the Central Section Championship game three years ago, the Matilda Torres Toros girls basketball team finally made it back, and took home the hardware. 

With a defensive effort that proved to be the difference, the top-seeded Toros claimed the school’s first basketball championship, boys or girls, with a 34-23 victory over the third-seeded Tulare Union Tribe on Friday at Selland Arena. 

“This means the world to us,” said senior captain Kaylin Perez. “We came in freshman year, and lost in the championship. We’ve just been working so hard to come back to have a shot and win it.”