Lopez: Modesto Christian shouldn’t let NorCal title game loss taint a great season
It’s not what they had wanted.
All year, the goal for the Modesto Christian High School boys basketball team was simple.
“We need an Open Division title,” Crusaders coach Brice Fantazia said after MC lost to Sheldon in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title game on Feb. 23.
Unfortunately, the goal won’t be attained in 2019 as Modesto Christian lost to Sheldon, 57-48 in the CIF State NorCal Regional Championship on Tuesday.
It was a somber evening for Modesto Christian but the Crusaders should hold their heads up high if you looked at what they endured all year.
The schedule alone was a juggernaut.
Three teams the Crusaders played are in state title games (Campolindo, James Logan, and Sheldon). Four other teams are ranked in the top 20 in the nation by MaxPreps (Gonzaga Prep, Oak Hill Academy, Salesian, and Santa Margarita).
They beat Salesian in the NorCal semifinals to give the Pride (31-1) their only loss of the year.
There were other obstacles.
Senior forward Tsotne Tsartsidze hobbled around with an ankle injury throughout the playoffs. Senior Aaron Murphy missed time in the section title game with a leg injury. Senior guard Dathan Satchell dealt with a shoulder injury in the final weeks of the season.
Modesto Christian also lost to St. Mary’s on Feb. 21 to snap a league-winning streak that goes all the back to the 1990s. St. Mary’s would later forfeit the game.
But, the Crusaders regrouped and battled on the road to a deep playoff run. And brought the MC faithful with them.
After they upset Salesian in the semifinal, I was talking with Fantazia when a FaceTime call came though ...
It was legendary Crusader Chuck Hayes, the former University of Kentucky star and NBA player.
Maybe what made this MC team so fun to watch was they were a “team”. There wasn’t one star player.
Murphy, a UC Davis signee, took over some games. Junior guard Michael Pearson had defenders struggling to stay with his quickness. Satchell was flashy. Junior forward Alex Merkviladze was a bruiser in the post.
And then, there was freshman guard Devin Day, who routinely would come off the bench and make two or three 3-pointers in a blink of an eye.
“He’s going to go down as one of the best players in Modesto Christian history,” Fantazia said. “I really believe that when he is done with his four years.”
The season ended just short.
MC will be back.
Section announces Winter Academic Team Champions: The Sac-Joaquin Section announced its Winter Academic Team Champions on Wednesday and a couple of local teams made the list.
Wrestling: Pitman boys (first, 3.23 GPA), Orestimba boys (third, 3.10), Ripon girls (third, 3.41)
Basketball: Ripon boys (fourth, 3.35)
Soccer: Riverbank boys (fourth, 3.50)
Update on Modesto High football coaching search: Modesto High Athletic Director Donnie Wallace said earlier this week the school would open up its football head coaching vacancy to applicants outside the district because they had no in-district applicants. Brett Wagner stepped down as coach of the Panthers in December.
Local track meet scheduled for Friday: The 18th annual Stanislaus County Championships are scheduled for Friday at Turlock High School. Field events begin at 3 p.m. while track and field events begin at 4:30 p.m. Each school will have two athletes in each event and the top seven in each race (Top 10 in 1600/3200) qualify for the County Clash in Oakdale on March 22.
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Stanislaus District Section Basketball Finalists
