Modesto Christian keeps it quick against Turlock in Hoop Classic opener

The Modesto Christian High School boys basketball team missed on two back-door lobs to center Robinson Idehen and 15 free throws.

So the mighty Crusaders weren’t perfect on opening night of their 16th annual Holiday Hoop Classic, but they were close.

Josthin Dawkins led three players in double figures with 13 points as Modesto Christian started fast and finished faster in a 73-30 victory over Turlock.

The Crusaders (7-1) scored the first 19 points and then rewarded a capacity crowd – many with cellphones fixed on the Modesto Christian basket – with a running-clock fourth quarter to advance in the winners’ bracket.

Idehen and reserve guard Chris Brown had 10 points each, and Christian Ellis and Jay Chen, Modesto Christian’s starting backcourt, had eight apiece in the Crusaders’ seventh consecutive win since a season-opening loss to Folsom.

“You just want to perform well and play with confidence,” Modesto Christian coach Richard Midgley said. “It’s a bigger crowd than probably most teams have played in front of so far this year, so this was good for us. We made some mistakes, but we were able to jump out to an early lead and get everybody a chance to play.”

A rush of fans arrived ahead of the 7 p.m. tipoff, filling the foyer and baseline, and Modesto Christian was eager to impress.

However, Dawkins, a slick 6-foot-4 guard, was sent off the court before the tip to remove his earrings, delaying the start. That was the only battle the Crusaders lost all evening.

Midgley played all 13 players and overwhelmed his opponent with tempo. The Bulldogs (1-11), making their 10th tournament appearance, simply couldn’t contend with Modesto Christian’s length, speed and depth, a lethal three-part concoction.

The Crusaders had 17 assists, forced 24 turnovers and didn’t give up a point until the 3:43 mark of the first quarter.

“We always want to get up and down. We want to be the fastest team, the strongest team,” said Ellis, a senior point guard. “We want to push the ball faster than anybody. That’s pretty much how we get energy – points in transition.”

The Crusaders jumped to a 19-0 lead, led 23-3 after one quarter and 42-15 at halftime. By then, the conversation had turned to Monday’s second-round meeting with Manteca (9-0), a familiar opponent.

The two have hovered around one another for months, clashing twice over the summer with patchwork rosters. Each began the season ranked in Cal-Hi Sports’ state poll. Modesto Christian was seventh overall and No. 1 in Northern California, while the Buffaloes debuted at No. 35.

On Monday, they’ll meet at 6 p.m. with a semifinal berth at stake. The Buffaloes advanced with a 79-76 victory over Freedom in Saturday’s morning game. Junior guard Dwight Young netted 25 points, sinking five three-pointers, and 6-8 junior Tydus Verhoeven connected for the winning basket, a spinning, one-handed floater, with 2.9 seconds left.

“I think we’re going to have to defend the three-point line. They have a couple of guys that can really shoot it,” Midgley said. “Obviously, they have the size inside (with 6-9 forward Kenny Wooten and Anand Hundal), so we’re going to have to come up with a game plan to tackle their size.

“For us, we try to pick up the tempo and play as fast as we can. Just play without turnovers and get some clean execution.”

Modesto Christian has made three consecutive semifinal appearances with two final berths. The Crusaders haven’t won their tournament since 2005, a challenge Ellis and Co. have taken head-on. Modesto Christian lost to El Camino Real in the 2012 final and was exhausted by Campolindo in overtime last year.

“Oh, we want to win it really bad,” Ellis said.

The expectation at Modesto Christian, where collegiate jerseys stitched with alumni names hang in the foyer, is that early tournament success helps build the foundation for league titles, section banners and state contenders.

Midgley helped cultivate that culture as a player, and now he champions it as a coach.

“As a program, and as a group, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have success.” he said. “We expect to win. We prepare to win. We work to win. Without a doubt, we’re as good as anyone. We just have to prepare and come with good game plans and then execute when we play.”

On Saturday, the Crusaders weren’t perfect, but they were close enough to running-clock an opponent tied with the second-most Classic appearances.

Dawkins was 6 of 9 from the floor and scored seven of his team-high 13 points in the first quarter.

Brown drilled both of his three-point attempts, and Darrian Grays and Jordan Hollins-Buckner had four assists apiece.

“I liked the energy. There were some specific things we’ve been working on all week,” Midgley said. “We’re improving each game. (Saturday), regardless of the matchup, we took another step. We’re going to have to be a lot better on Monday to match up with Manteca.”

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 12:08 AM with the headline "Modesto Christian keeps it quick against Turlock in Hoop Classic opener."