Modesto Christian’s road to first Open Division title starts with win against Mitty
The final leg in the Modesto Christian boys’ basketball team’s race for a state title kicked off Wednesday night in the opening round of the NorCal Open Division Regionals.
After capturing a record 20th section title Saturday, the Crusaders were rewarded with a home game, hosting storied program Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, the runner-up in the Central Coast Section Open Division.
Powered by their one-two guard punch, the Crusaders opened up an early lead and rolled from there, beating the Monarchs 77-55.
“Any time you win by 20 in the Open Division, it means you played really, really well,” coach Brice Fantazia said. “I thought our attention to detail and following our scout was excellent.”
Fantazia understands his team was young, but said players picked things up quickly this season.
“A knock on us during the year was our youth,” he said. “We’ve grown up fast in the last two, three weeks.
“They didn’t know how, when you’re tired, you still have to chase a guy off the screen and dig in. Tonight they did that. They understand it’s the Open Division. If you take a play off, that could be the game-changing play.”
Bj Davis got it going offensively early for Modesto Christian (28-5).
The junior with multiple mid- and high-major NCAA Division I scholarship offers scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter and was a key factor in the Crusaders taking a 32-22 halftime lead.
Davis’ presence was also felt on the defensive end. He’s used to guarding the opposing team’s best player, and Wednesday was no different. Archbishop Mitty’s (23-6) Aidan Burke, the West Catholic Athletic League player of the year, was his latest assignment.
Burke scored 13 points, but he had to work for every basket. Davis held him to just four points for the first three quarters.
Jamari Phillips, a sophomore who holds his share of scholarship offers as well, scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, combining with Davis for 31 points in the final 16 minutes.
“When (Davis) and Jamari get rolling, we’re really hard to guard,” Fantazia said. “And when we play defense like that, we’re really hard to beat. When you combine it, we won by 20.”
The Crusaders extended a 54-37 lead by the end of the third quarter and rolled from there.
After the win, they will travel to Fresno for a matchup with NorCal second seed Clovis West. The Eagles came behind from being down 24-8 after the first quarter to beat Sheldon, 63-55.
“(A win like this) definitely gives us momentum,” Davis said. “But we’re going to take it one game at a time and just keep playing hard and keep focusing.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 10:08 AM.
