Modesto Christian wins 9th consecutive section championship

SACRAMENTO -- When D.J. Seeley arrived at Modesto Christian High for his senior season, Dabrail Henton was one of the first to welcome him to the team.

Given the fact that Seeley was going to supplant Henton as the Crusaders' No. 2 scorer, it was an unselfish gesture by the senior.

"I never thought about how it might affect me, I was just excited to have him playing for us," the 6-foot-3-inch swingman said. "I didn't worry how it might affect me. We're here to win and I knew he would help us do that."

Henton stepped back from the high-profile role he was expected to fill, to instead focus his efforts on rebounding and defense.

That created a smooth transition, one made easier by Seeley's unselfish play and personality, and set the stage for another successful season by the Stanislaus District's powerhouse program.

It all came together Saturday, as Henton, Seeley and forward Reeves Nelson combined to lead MC to an 85-56 victory over Colfax and its record ninth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section title.

Nelson, the 6-foot-7-inch junior who has verbally committed to UCLA, scored 30 to set a section record for points in a postseason tournament. His 121 points surpassed the mark of 118, set by legendary Bill Cartwright in 1974.

This is the third Division IV title in that span. Two titles came in D-I -- before the section forbid teams from moving up to play larger schools -- and five were in D-V, for the smallest schools.

It was a record 11th title in 12 years and earned MC (26-4) a trip to the Northern California playoffs. The pairings will be decided today, but MC knows it will host a game Tuesday and is expecting to get one of the top two seeds.

The Crusaders can thank Henton for his role in not only securing yet another title, but for his willingness to do the dirty work.

"Dabrail's the garbage man," said MC coach Gary Porter, after Henton collected 10 points, nine rebounds and hounded the Falcons. "He's our rebounder and stopper on defense, and he's doing a great job at both of them."

Nelson (30 points, 13 rebounds) and Seeley provided their customary highlights, with the 6-7 Nelson pounding Colfax inside and Seeley (18 points, four assists) knocking down a pair of treys and slashing to the hoop.

Each time, Henton was there to collect a missed shot or to provide an outlet should one of his teammates get trapped inside.

That helped MC score 23 in each of the first three quarters, taking a 69-34 lead into the final quarter. The Crusaders shot 51.6 percent from the floor, in contrast to Colfax's 30.5 percent.

The Falcons' poor shooting percentage, Porter said, is a testament to Henton's tireless work.

"Our goal is to win a state title not to see who can score the most points," said Henton, whose sister Brandi is a sophomore point guard on MC's section runner-up girls team. "D.J. makes that easy because he's so unselfish."

It's an image Seeley has cultivate since his first practice after transferring from Tokay High, where he led the section by scoring 25 points a game as a junior.

"I didn't come in here to be 'the man.' I've never been a guy who has to the star," said Seeley, who has committed to Cal for next season. "It's always about winning and we've got more to do."

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at restrada@modbee.com or 578-2300.