Modesto Christian boys hoops beat Sheldon behind strong defensive performance
They have met in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section title games and state playoffs, where a near capacity crowd is always on hand to watch.
However, on Monday, when the Modesto Christian and Sheldon boys basketball teams played in a non-league game, there were fewer than 30 people in attendance due to COVID.
Still, as Crusaders coach Brice Fantazia said, no matter what the atmosphere is, the intensity is always high.
“It’s a dogfight,” Fantazia. “It always has been and always will be. There’s a lot of respect between both sides.”
With a stifling defense in the second half, a performance Fantazia said was “one of the best in school history,” the Crusaders beat Sheldon, 62-48, to remain undefeated.
Modesto Christian (5-0) led by one point at halftime and in the third quarter forced plenty of turnovers and contested shots as Sheldon (1-1) made its lone field goal of the quarter with five seconds remaining. The Crusaders led 42-33 after three.
Frustrated with his shots going in and out, Sheldon junior Devon Hayes made two quick 3-pointers early in the fourth and the Huskies tied the game at 44 with 5 minutes, 38 seconds remaining.
Led by junior Devin Day and freshman Jamari Phillips, the Crusaders went on a quick 6-0 run and ended the game on an 18-4 run.
Phillips had a team-high 15 points and Day added 11.
Fantazia said Phillips is “not scared of the limelight,” and the 6-foot-3 guard had a couple of acrobatic field goals, including being fouled on a one-handed fadeaway.
“He doesn’t play like a typical freshman,” Fantazia said.
Phillips had a couple of games with over 20 points entering Monday and looks like a future star.
Senior Myles Clayton had nine points and stepped up defensively with a couple of blocks and several rebounds.
Clayton is the only senior on the Crusaders team. He was battling a shoulder injury entering Monday’s game.
After transferring from Central Catholic, Clayton had to sit out all of last year. Fantazia was proud of his execution on Monday.
Hayes had a game-high 16 points but struggled when he was guarded by Modesto Christian sophomore Bryant Davis, a performance the coaching staff mentioned in the postgame meeting.
The Crusaders have a couple of league games against Tokay (Wednesday) and Lodi (Friday) before traveling to Chatsworth on Saturday to face Sierra Canyon, one of the nation’s best teams.
“We just have to compete and take care of the ball,” Fantazia said when asked about facing Sierra Canyon.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 10:17 PM.
