Modesto Christian is District's top boys basketball team. Who fills out the top-10?

The Modesto Christian High boys basketball team dropped three slots in Cal-Hi Sports' latest state rankings, but it debuts at No. 1 in the Stanislaus District.

The Crusaders (9-2) slipped to No. 10 in the state poll after suffering a 73-64 loss to No. 9 San Joaquin Memorial in the final of the 18th annual Holiday Hoop Classic.

Modesto Christian led at the half, but couldn't contain the Panthers' triumvirate of Jalen Green, tournament MVP; Lunden Taylor, an all-tournament selection; and Jonah Geron, a 6-foot-6 shooter committed to Washington.

Inside the locker room, coach Brice Fantazia and the Crusaders quickly moved past the loss, turning their focus to a busy January.

Modesto Christian traveled to Clovis North on Thursday, resumes Modesto Metro Conference play with Modesto on Jan. 10, and will play No. 4 Salesian at the MLK Invitational at St. Mary's College on Jan. 15. Salesian (13-1) is the top-ranked team in Northern California and possesses one of the nation's elite, UConn-bound point guard James Akinjo, the 2016 Holiday Hoop Classic MVP.

Thursday's trip to Clovis also marked the season debuts for Modesto Christian's highly-touted transfers, Junior Ballard, an electric scorer, and Earvin Knox, a pass-first point guard. Both sat the first 30 days of the season, per CIF transfer rules.

"It really does nothing to affect us and what we want to accomplish this season," Fantazia said after the loss to San Joaquin Memorial. "Now we're at full strength. I'll be the first one to admit we just ran out of gas. In the second half, guys were dead."

Here's a look at The Bee's Stanislaus District power rankings, along with each team's MaxPreps section ranking in parenthesis:

1. Modesto Christian (9-2, 2-0): Juniors Aaron Murphy and Dathan Satchell are making up for lost time. After missing all of last season, Satchell (ineligible) is averaging 14.6 points, while Murphy (injury) has a team-high four double-doubles. MaxPreps: 2.

2. Central Catholic (12-2, 1-0): Senior Joshua Hamilton is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Raiders, who won the Granada Holiday Tournament and Carmel Invitational. MaxPreps: 4.

3. Gregori (11-2, 2-0): The Jaguars have won 11 of their first 13 games, including a 67-59 victory over defending Modesto Metro Conference champion Beyer on Dec. 22. Also owns quality wins over Manteca and No. 8 Enochs. MaxPreps: 22.

4. Sonora (12-1, 1-0): The Wildcats, led by 6-foot-4 captain Jace Decker, are the top small-school team in the Stanislaus District. Sonora has won 10 straight, a streak that includes wins over No. 5 Pitman, Patterson, Ripon Christian and Golden Valley. MaxPreps: 14.

5. Pitman (13-3, 1-0): The Pride have beaten four teams in the top-10, swept play at the Godinez Tournament, and captured the Oakdale holiday invite with a 48-47 victory over Ripon Christian, a Trans-Valley League title contender. MaxPreps: 19.

6. Beyer (8-7, 1-1): It's been an up-and-down start to the season for the Patriots, who capped the Holiday Hoop Classic with wins over Turlock and Vanden. Guard Ben Polack, who signed a letter of intent to play baseball at San Jose State, sets the pace. MaxPreps: 37.

7. El Capitan (12-4, 1-0): Led by Marcus McCutchen (12.7 points) and T.J. Wills (11.3 points), the Gauchos impressed during the opening month of the season, highlighted by a championship at Cosumnes Oaks' Running with the Pack tourney. MaxPreps: 31.

8. Enochs (8-5, 1-1): The Eagles avenged an earlier loss to No. 3 Gregori in the final of the Livermore Cowboy Holiday Tournament. Enochs possesses one of the top individual talents in the Stanislaus District in Wesley Williams-Burse, who is averaging 23.9 points and 9.5 rebounds. MaxPreps: 50.

9. Modesto (9-5, 2-0): The Panthers feature three players scoring in double figures: third-year starter Ryan Silva, 19.5 points; junior Joseph Perez, 11.3 points; and senior Colton Cruce, 10.6. Modesto went 2-2 at the Southern California Holiday Prep Classic. MaxPreps: 57.

10. Ripon (9-6, 0-0): The Indians are young, but give teams fits with their inside-outside game. Vincent Olmo is a 6-foot-9 center who pairs nicely with slashing guard Kyle Sisk and 3-point specialist Adam Wood. MaxPreps: 44

On the bubble: Manteca, Ripon Christian, Patterson, Sierra, Golden Valley, Argonaut, Merced.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Modesto Christian is District's top boys basketball team. Who fills out the top-10?."