Modesto’s Central Catholic beats Dixon; back in D-IV basketball semis
For the past two rounds of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball playoffs, the Central Catholic Raiders have hosted games in their old cracker box of a gymnasium, the one that sits across the parking lot from the sparkling, 1,100-seat Mark Gallo Health and Fitness Center.
That’s because Central Catholic’s new gym has been occupied by the school’s annual fundraising extravaganza.
And that’s fine with coach Mike Wilson. He’s more comfortable in the old digs. His team didn’t seem to mind, either, holding off Dixon 71-54Friday to earn the defending section champs their fifth trip to the semifinals in six seasons.
“It’s probably just familiarity,” Wilson said of his preference for the old gym, the equivalent of preferring a Ford Fiesta over a Cadillac Coupe DeVille. “Hey, I spent 16 years in this gym.”
Dixon seemed to get comfortable, too, drawing within a bucket in the fourth quarter.
But seniors Jared Rice (19 points), Cooper Wilson (16) and Amrit Dhaliwal (12) each delivered key baskets down the stretch to help the Raiders pull away.
Six-foot-5 senior Conor Fenton grabbed 10 rebounds for the Raiders.
“I just wanted to set a tone,” said Fenton, who admitted getting a little nervous when the lead was whittled to a bucket. “I was on the bench at that time and I was thinking in my head, ‘Man, this could be my last basketball game ever.’ So I just wanted to get back in there and help out my teammates.”
The Raiders (22-7) will next face Ripon (24-5), a 68-60 winner over Sonora on Friday. The teams met in the second round of last year’s tournament, with Central Catholic winning a 64-59 overtime thriller.
“I know Aaron (Paschini), Cole (Stevens) and Noah (Hernandez). They’ve been some of my best friends for a while, and I play travel ball with them all the time,” Rice said of the Indians’ senior trio that combines to average more than 47 points per game. “It’s going to be a fun game.
“Hopefully, we come out next Wednesday, get another win and go to another section championship.”
Joe Cortez: 209-578-2380, @ModBeePreps
CENTRAL CATHOLIC 71, DIXON 54
Dixon 16 10 17 11 – 54
Central Catholic 17 16 14 24 – 71
DIXON (21-8) – Anthony Hattfield 7, Mylan Dickerson 17, Romel Osario 5, Sebastian Simpson 3, Dylan Nagle 2, Robert Nagle 3, Jake Giardino 5, George Stewart 10, Christian Bermudez 2. Totals: 17 14-20 54.
CENTRAL CATHOLIC (22-7) – Jared Rice 19, Cooper Wilson 16, Amrit Dhaliwal 12, DaRon Bland 6, Justin Traina 3, Conor Fenton 6, Malcom Clayton 1, Dayton Magana 8. Totals: 23 17-26 71.
Three-point goals – Dixon 6 (Dickerson 2, Hattfield, Osario, Simpson, R. Nagle), Central Catholic 8 (Wilson 4, Magana 2, Dhaliwal, Traina). Team fouls – Dixon 20, Central Catholic 17. Fouled out – Osario (D). Technical fouls – Osario (D), Central Catholic bench.
This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Modesto’s Central Catholic beats Dixon; back in D-IV basketball semis."