Basketball notes: Midseason boys and girls top 10 release; MC, Enochs earn league wins
It’s not often an early-January league game is also a rematch of the Division I section championship in the Sac-Joaquin Section, but that’s what fans were treated to Monday, Jan. 13, when Lincoln-Stockton visited Modesto Christian for their first Tri-City Athletic League matchup this season.
“We take pride in protecting out home court. To be honest, there are games we downplay, this was not one of them,” Modesto Christian coach Brice Fantazia said.
Gavin Sykes erupted for 26 points, four rebounds and seven assists and was one of four Crusaders in double figures to lead Modesto Christian to a 76-72 win. He scored 16 points in the first half and added 10 second-half points in big moments to lead the team to its fourth straight win of the season.
“I’m very proud of Gavin,” Fantazia said. “We talk about (former Modesto Christian guard) BJ Davis a lot on purpose in front of him. And that was a BJ Davis-type performance. Gavin told the team he’s not letting us lose this game tonight. And he did just that. … That was a monster game from him.”
The Trojans entered the matchup as the No. 1 ranked team in the section by MaxPreps with a 15-1 overall record, and the Crusaders were No. 5 with a 12-4 record. Monday was the Crusaders’ seventh straight win over Lincoln.
“It gets harder and harder,” Fantazia said of playing Lincoln, “and to be honest, we’ll probably have to beat them two more times. I could see us matching up again in the playoffs.”
The Crusaders beat the No. 1 ranked team in the section twice in as many games. They beat Monterey Trail on Saturday, Jan. 11, in the Battle at the Trail. Two days later, they beat Lincoln-Stockton in their fourth Tri-City Athletic League contest.
Modesto Christian keeps getting contributions from unlikely sources. Seve Archuletta recently was moved into the starting lineup and on Monday night always was in the right place. When Sykes or junior guard Myles Jones attacked the basket, Archuletta moved to the open spot, making a lane for easy drop-off passes for layups.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore would not be outhustled on the defensive end, either. He battled with each Lincoln big man he matched up against, including the Trojans’ 6-foot-8 center. Archuletta finished with a career-high 16 points and seven rebounds.
Jones battled through an ankle injury and hit a pair of big second-half threes to give the Crusaders momentum. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Trevor Dickson continued to impress during his sophomore campaign, once again drawing a tough defensive assignment and knocking down back-to-back fourth-quarter threes as part of his 15-point night.
The Crusaders have won 13 of their last 14 contests and have not lost to a Northern California opponent since Dec. 7. They beat TCAL opponent Tracy on Wednesday and on Monday in De La Salle High’s MLK Classic will take on St. Joseph of Santa Maria, the No. 6 team in California and No. 16 team in the nation, according to MaxPreps, . The Knights feature Baylor-bound guard Tounde Yessoufou and top junior guard Julius Price.
WAC girls basketball standings shake up after Thursday games
Lilly Staggs scored 24 points to lead the Ceres High Bulldogs to a key 65-55 Western Athletic Conference win over Davis on Thursday. The Bulldogs have bounced back since falling to Livingston in the league opener. They have now won three of four WAC contests, giving them a 3-2 league record and a fourth-place spot through the first half of league play. They hustled, rebounded well and took care of the ball.
“It felt like to the first time we played to our potential,” Ceres coach Megan McGill said. “To see them all working together and being intense, it felt really good.”
Staggs is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer after moving from Gregori. McGill said she and the team have felt the junior guard’s calming presence since the first game of the season. Staggs averages nearly 12 points, three steals and 1.5 assists per game.
“She’s a leader on the floor,” McGill said. “She’s a true point guard. Sometimes she throws passes I don’t even know where she’s passing to and it’s someone wide open.”
The Bulldogs are in a three-way tie with Livingston and Beyer in the WAC standings. They play Beyer on Tuesday to determine who has the inside track to third place. Thursday’s win could be a confidence boost for McGill’s team.
“I’m hoping they see what they’re capable of,” the third-year coach said. “I hope they keep that intensity and get better from here, because I still don’t think this is our best basketball.”
Thursday was full of upsets in the WAC girls basketball standings as Beyer took down the other undefeated team in the league, Pacheco, in a 47-45 thriller. Davis hosts Pacheco on Tuesday for sole possession of first place in the WAC.
Enochs earns statement win in CCAL opener
For the first time since the 2018-19 season, Enochs High kicked off Central California Athletic League play 1-0, earning a 66-63 win over Turlock in the league opener Wednesday, Jan. 15. Enochs made 11 threes in the contest and was led by Mason Galvan and Louie Dill, who each finished with 20 points. Galvan made five threes and Dill made three. As of Thursday, the Eagles have started the season 11-5 and are on pace to win 15 games for the first time since 2017-18.
“The last few years, we’ve started (league) 0-1,” head coach Craig Bernardi said. “It’s kind of a different feel. I’m hoping it brings a little more confidence. We were always chasing, so it’s nice to start in the hunt.”
For the Eagles, it was more than a midweek league game. There was extra motivation after Turlock beat Enochs last season on a buzzer beater at homecoming.
“We had a little more to this game in a respectful way,” Bernardi said. “I think Turlock is really good and we knew this would be a dogfight. Turlock always finds a way to stay in the game.”
The Eagles are healthy, together and hitting their stride at the right time. They’re chasing their first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 season.
“In the past, Enochs has been known for pretty good defense, in my opinion,” Bernardi said. “We’ve always had drag-out games. This season, my offensive coaching hasn’t gotten any better, (but) we have players who can put the ball in the basket.”
Turlock’s transfer guard makes impact right away
Guard Ross Widemon announced his arrival to Turlock High basketball with a bang in his first game of the season after sitting out due to section transfer rules. The 6-foot-2 guard scored 36 points in his debut against Buhach Colony, outscoring the Thunder in Turlock’s 73-34 win.
“I love basketball,” he said after the CCAL opener against Enochs. “Sitting out was probably one of the hardest things I’ve faced in life so far. When I was sitting out, I fed my teammates energy, that was the way I could contribute to them. … Being able to play with my teammates, they feed me that same energy I gave them.”
The Bulldogs won their next game 69-34 over Patterson, but Widemon’s 27 points were not enough to spark a Turlock comeback against Enochs in their Central California Athletic League opener. The Bulldogs trailed by more than 10 points for the majority of the contest, but rallied in the fourth quarter. They ultimately fell 66-63.
Widemon transferred to Turlock from Modesto Christian, where he helped the Crusaders win three straight Division I section titles. He missed the first 14 games of the season and by the time he was eligible after the transfer sit-out period, he had a new appreciation for the game.
“You get to see the game from a different angle,” he said. “You see people’s mannerisms and how they like to get to their spots. … Knowing how my teammates operate and what they like to do helps me because if they get stuck then I’m right there. I know where to be and where not to be.”
Widemon and the Bulldogs kick off CCAL play with a tough three-game stretch, opening with Enochs, Gregori and Pitman, the league’s projected top three teams.
Key boys and girls matchups coming this week
Modesto Christian makes its annual trip to De La Salle for its MLK Classic and will play a team it has some history with. The Crusaders played St. Joseph and Tounde Yessoufou two seasons ago, barely winning thanks to a 38-point effort from now-San Diego State guard BJ Davis. Later that same season, St. Joe’s ended the Crusaders’ season in the NorCal Open Division championship at MJC. Yessoufou, now a senior, is the No. 20 recruit in the 2025 class, according to ESPN, and will play next year at Baylor. They two sides meet at 2 p.m. at De La Salle on Monday. The Crusaders then host St. Mary’s on Wednesday in a TCAL matchup.
The rest of the week features key league games between TVL, WAC, VOL, MLL and CCAL foes. Here’s a look at other key boys and girls basketball games this week.
Monday, Jan. 20
Boys: Modesto Christian vs St. Joseph-Santa Maria in the De La Salle MLK Classic
Tuesday, Jan 21
Boys: Ripon Christian at Escalon in a TVL matchup
Boys: Calaveras at Big Valley Christian in a MLL matchup
Girls: Riverbank at Summerville in a MLL matchup
Girls: Pacheco at Davis in a WAC matchup
Girls: Patterson at Oakdale in a VOL matchup
Girls: Beyer at Ceres in a WAC matchup
Wednesday, Jan. 22
Boys: St. Mary’s at Modesto Christian in a TCAL matchup
Boys: Patterson at Oakdale in a VOL matchup
Boys: Pitman at Turlock in a CCAL matchup.
Boys: Livingston at Johansen in a WAC matchup
Boys: Enochs at Gregori in a CCAL matchup
Thursday, Jan. 23
Girls: Pitman at Enochs in a CCAL matchup
Girls: Davis at Johansen in a WAC matchup
Girls: Ceres at Central Valley in a WAC matchup
Friday, Jan. 24
Boys: Oak Park at Modesto Christian in Quincy Shootout (Quincy, Ill.)
Boys: Pitman at Enochs in CCAL matchup
Girls: Riverbank at Big Valley Christian in MLL matchup
Modesto Christian players nominated for senior All-American game
Modesto Christian has two players eligible for the most prestigious All-Star game in high school basketball. Senior guard Gavin Sykes and senior forward Ry Atkins were listed among nominees across the nation for the McDonald’s All American High School Boys Basketball Game. Sykes and Atkins are two of just 60 of the top seniors in California named to the Boys West Nominees list. Sykes and Atkins won a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title last season with the Crusaders and so far this season have helped lead the Crusaders to a 14-4 overall record and a 5-0 record in the Tri-City Athletic League as two of three returning main contributors from last year’s team.
Stanislaus District Boys and Girls top 10 Rankings
Boys
Previous rank in parenthesis before school name; record in parenthesis after school name
Records through Thursday, Jan. 16
1. (1) Modesto Christian (14-4)
2. (2) Pitman (17-1)
3. (3) Gregori (15-3)
4. (5) Enochs (11-5)
5. (6) Central Catholic (10-10)
6. (4) Beyer (15-2)
7. (7) Ripon Christian (13-4)
8. (8) Johansen (13-5)
9. (9) Oakdale (11-8)
10. (NR) Escalon (12-7)
Girls
Previous rank in parenthesis before school name; record in parenthesis after school name
Records through Thursday, Jan. 16
1. (1) Riverbank (14-3)
2. (2) Patterson (17-4)
3. (3) Davis (16-2)
4. (4) Ceres (14-5)
5. (5) Gregori (11-9)
6. (6) Escalon (9-9)
7. (7) Beyer (10-7)
8. (10) Ripon (10-9)
9. (9) Orestimba (9-7)
10. (8) Downey (7-8)
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM.
