Winter sports notes: Merced-area basketball teams impress early in season
The El Capitan boys basketball team is looking to get over the hump.
Under head coach Adrian Hurtado, the Gauchos (9-5) have won four league titles and made the postseason in most of his seasons at the helm.
For most programs, that’s great. But head coach Adrian Hurtado and his team are hungry for more. They’re chasing the program’s first first-round playoff win. The Gauchos won their only postseason contest in the 2016-17 play-in.
“It’s a goal of ours to not only make it just to the first round,” said the coach in his ninth season, “but we’re trying to crack that second round. It’s tough, but at the same time I always think we have enough talent. It’s just about making sure it works together.”
Hurtado is just the second boys basketball coach in school history and in his nine years he is largely responsible for laying the program’s groundwork and building expectations for future teams.
He’s hoping to continue the program’s success at the league level (El Capitan won the WAC in 2016 and the CCC in 2018, 2020 and 2022, according to its Instagram) but that playoff win has always eluded him. This year, he can say he’s done everything to help them get there. He beefed up their non-league schedule that included participating in a tournament in Hawaii and competing in the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic, and is full of playoff teams from Fresno to the Bay Area.
Through their first 14 games, two seniors and a junior have led the way. Senior Diego Ultreras averages a team-high 16.3 points per game, 3.3 steals, 2.9 assists and adds 4.2 rebounds. Braylen Centeno and junior Anthony Jones also add double-digit scoring threats, averaging 10.9 and 10.5 points a game, respectively. Jones also leads the team with 6.6 rebounds.
“Talent wise, this team compares with the teams where I’ve won the most,” Hurtado said of his senior-heavy team. “I think for us this year, it’s about coming together and building a little bit more toughness and being able to edge out those grittier wins.”
The Gauchos dropped their opener in the Holiday Hoop Classic, a back-and-forth affair against Mountain House, but bounced back with a pair of wins against Downey and Turlock to reach the consolation championship. They met Amador Valley (11-2), a North Coast Section Division I playoff team last season, falling 70-42.
“We’ll see some of this in league,” Hurtado said. “And hopefully we’ll qualify for playoffs.”
Last season was the first year El Capitan did not make the playoffs under Hurtado. With a lot of players back from last season, they’re looking to extend their season.
“Last year was the first year the school didn’t make the playoffs, you have to use that as motivation,” he said.
El Capitan girls win hoops tournament in Tracy
The El Capitan girls basketball team ended 2024 on a high note, taking home the championship of the 41st Annual Tom Hawkins Tracy Breakfast Lions Tournament at Tracy High on Dec. 31. The Gauchos went 3-1 overall in the tournament, losing the first game in a heartbreaking 57-56 game against East Union. They bounced back with three straight wins, beating West, Kimball and then Tracy in the tournament championship.
Junior leading scorer Mady Deitz was named tournament MVP after tallying 67 total points, 24 total rebounds and 21 steals over the four-game tournament.
The Gauchos are well on their way to a fourth straight 20-win season, the best stretch in program history. The No. 11 team in the section according to MaxPreps, they are 14-3 through just over a month of action and have earned wins over Modesto-area schools Gregori and Central Catholic, Mountain House and Manteca High. They have bounced back from a rough showing at the Tony Sillato Tournament, where they lost two of three games just before Christmas, and the one point loss to begin the tournament in Tracy with three straight wins. Their final non-league tune-up is on the road at Pitman, then they begin CCC play.
Atwater boys basketball has 14 wins early
The Atwater boys basketball team is off to yet another hot start. The Falcons went a perfect 28-0 during the 2022-23 regular season and were 15-13 last year entering the playoffs. So far in 2024-25, Atwater has nearly matched last season’s win total, boasting a 14-1 overall record with just three games and a week and a half left until league play kicks off. The Falcons are the No. 12 team in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section rankings. Their only blemish came at the hands of Gregori of Modesto in the championship of the Mark Gallo Invitational at Central Catholic High School. The two sides played in a fast-paced, competitive matchup before Gregori pulled away in the fourth quarter. Gregori won 68-48.
Atwater searches for its third straight CCC title this season and its fourth top-2 finish.
Los Banos boys hoops back on track
The Los Banos boys basketball team is back on track, already tallying 12 wins before league play after winning just 12 total games all of 2023-24. Most recently, the Tigers took third place in the Gold Division of the Mendota Holiday Classic, bouncing back from a nine-point loss to McLane with a 44-34 win over Strathmore at Mendota High. The Tigers are 12-2 with just one non-league game left against Orestimba Jan. 7 before they host Atwater and Merced in their first two CCC games Jan. 15 and 17. Los Banos competes in the CCC starting this year as a result of Sac-Joaquin Section league realignment after serving as members of the Western Athletic Conference since 2010-11.
Hilmar girls soccer striker top 10 in section in points
Hilmar’s Raylynn Mendoza has done her part in helping the Yellowjackets continue the success they started with last season’s NorCal final run. Just a sophomore, Mendoza already ranks in the top 10 in the Sac-Joaquin Section in points (30) and goals (13), coming in at No. 8 in both categories. She also adds four assists in 12 games played. She has five multi-goal games with two hat tricks. She started the season scoring both goals in a 2-2 tie with Livingston and recorded her first hat trick of the season the next game in a 6-1 win over Buhach Colony.
The Yellowjackets are 8-3-2 overall and are already 2-0 in Trans-Valley League play. They continue their league schedule Friday, Jan. 3 against Sonora and Wednesday, Jan. 8 against Orestimba.
Atwater girls hoops top 10 team in the section
Like the boys’ team, Atwater’s girls come in as one of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section, at No. 8 in the latest MaxPreps rankings. The Falcons are an impressive 12-4 and have an eight-game win streak. This is no surprise as last year’s team did not have a senior and returned every player who averaged more than five points in 2023-24. Karissa Hukill leads the team with 15.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 steals and adds 5.9 rebounds. Cami Gibson is the team’s leading rebounder, hauling in 9.1 per game and adding 8.8 points a contest. The Falcons have been dominant in CCC play dating back before the pandemic. They have won at least 10 league games in every full season since 2018 and in the past three seasons they went 35-1.
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
