Pitman, Gregori boys basketball battle in showdown for CCAL’s top spot
As the regular season winds down, Harvey Marable and the Pitman boys basketball team will take wins any way they can get them.
The Pride and Gregori, who entered their most recent league matchup tied with Enochs for the No. 1 seed with a 3-1 league record, spent two hours Wednesday night locked in a tightly contested, low-scoring battle for the top spot in the Central California Athletic League standings.
Pitman turned over the ball 10 times in the first quarter and still was ahead by the end of the frame. The Pride scored just three second-quarter points but still went into halftime tied with the Jaguars. By the final buzzer, the Pride scored 46 points, their lowest-scoring game in league play.
Was it the high-flying, high-scoring basketball fans like to see nowadays? No. But the Pride came away with a 46-44 victory. A win is a win.
Pitman’s goal was to slow the game down and limit the possessions of the fast-paced Gregori offense. By the end of the first quarter, Pitman led 11-4. At halftime, it was a 14-14 game.
“They like to shoot within seven to 10 seconds,” Marable said. “The biggest thing is I wanted us to play at our comfortable speed.”
After just 14 points were scored in the entire first half, things picked up in the third quarter as the Pride scored 21 and the Jaguars scored 14. Pitman took a 35-27 lead into the final frame.
Gregori battled back in the final frame, starting the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 36-35 lead midway through the quarter. Pitman answered with a run of its own and the two spent the rest of the period locked in a back-and-forth battle.
Avery Sanchez finished with 15 points for Pitman and Gregori’s Mason Marsden and Jayson Powers added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
First-year Gregori coach Ernesto Ruiz said in a game of contrasting game plans, he was happy with how his team played, despite an off shooting night. The team took opportunities to play fast and limited Pitman’s offense.
“We executed the game plan perfectly,” he said, “and they just executed their game plan a little bit better.”
Pitman controls its own destiny after Wednesday’s big win and the second half of league play just ahead of them.
“We don’t have to ask for any help,” Marable said. “If we can handle this opportunity then it’s meant to be. If we can’t then it’s not meant to be.”
For Gregori, there is no time to dwell on a heartbreaking two-point loss. The second half of league play begins with Turlock and continues through the next two weeks.
“Every night in this league is a battle. There’s no time to feel sorry,” Ruiz said. “It’s get back to work, then we’re at Turlock Friday.”
Boys Basketball
Ripon 71, Hughson 48: A 27-11 second quarter propelled Ripon to its league-best sixth TVL win this season. Ripon, Ripon Christian and Sonora are all tied for the league lead with 6-1 TVL records heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Ripon Christian 58, Hilmar 42: Jake Vander Veen left the game with a knee injury, but Amos Cady (19 points, six rebounds, five assists), Mason Tameling (16 points, 4 threes) and company picked up for him in the Knights’ sixth TVL win. Walker Postma had seven rebounds, six blocks and three points. Xavier Silveira led Hilmar with 17 points and six rebounds.
Sonora 57, Escalon 48: The Cougars were outscored 34-24 in the second half after taking a one-point halftime lead as Sonora kept itself in the running for the TVL title.
Manteca 50, Oakdale 39: Manteca scored 30 second-half points en route to their fifth league win of the season. The Buffaloes are third in the VOL behind Central Catholic and Mountain House.
Johansen 60, Beyer 58: Beyer had its program-best 12-game win streak snapped by Johansen in a nail-biter. Beyer still maintains first place in the WAC while Johansen is tied with Central Valley for fourth place at 5-3.
Turlock 81, Modesto 43: Turlock’s highest scoring game of the season resulted in its third CCAL win in a dominant showing against Modesto. The Bulldogs begin the second half of league play against Gregori and Enochs in back-to-back games.
Enochs 63, Downey 43: Enochs joins Pitman as the only 4-1 CCAL teams after Wednesday. The Eagles bounced back from back-to-back losses against Pitman and Edison of Stockton with the league win.
Modesto Christian 74, Lodi 51: The Crusaders bounced back from a pair of losses in the Quincy Shootout in Illinois with a league win against Lodi. With the win, Modesto Christian moves to 8-0 in TCAL play.
Central Catholic 67, Patterson 52: The Raiders maintained their perfect VOL record with a double-digit win over Patterson. Central Catholic led 13-2 after the first quarter and outscored the Tigers 24-17 in the third quarter.
Davis 65, Central Valley 52: Davis moved to 6-2 in WAC play with Wednesday night’s win over the 5-3 Hawks in a battle of the league’s second and third place teams. Both are fighting for a playoff spot with Johansen and Lathrop, which are still in the picture as league winds down.
Ceres 69, Livingston 65: Ceres moved to 3-5 in WAC play, beating 1-7 Livingston. With the win, Ceres snapped a three game losing streak.
Boys Soccer
Hilmar 4, Sonora 0: Hilmar earned its fourth TVL win Wednesday in a shutout over Sonora. It is the Yellowjackets’ third-straight shutout but they are 1-0-2 in those games. Hilmar ended a five game winless streak where they had a pair of losses and three ties.
Hughson 0, Escalon 0: The Cougars and Huskies played to a 0-0 draw Wednesday in a TVL matchup at Escalon High. It is Hughson’s fourth tie in league play and Escalon’s third.
Linden 16, Big Valley Christian 1: Freshman Dylan Poling scored the Lions’ only goal in Wednesday’s matchup against the MLL’s third place team.
Enochs 5, Modesto 4: Enochs earned its first CCAL win of the season, beating Modesto in a high scoring game. Modesto entered halftime with a 2-0 lead but the Eagles scored five second-half goals and gave up just a pair in the win.
Ripon 2, Orestimba 0: Johan Padilla found Brian Machado for both of Ripon’s goals in a key TVL win over Orestimba, the league’s No. 1 team. Deegan Nobles recorded four saves and a shutout.
Girls Soccer
Hughson 1, Escalon 1: Kassandra Torres found Presley Wells for the Huskies’ only goal of the game in the first half. Escalon answered with a second-half goal to even the score.
Big Valley Christian 0, Linden 0: Big Valley and Linden played to a draw in Modesto Wednesday in a battle of the Lions. Big Valley could not score despite putting six shots on goal.
Ripon 2, Orestimba 0: Ripon remained undefeated in the TVL after earning a road shutout against Orestimba. Ripon moves to 8-0 in league play and 13-3-1 overall.
Sonora 3, Hilmar 1: Raylynn Mendoza was assisted by Alyssa Colston for Hilmar’s only goal Wednesday in a TVL matchup with Sonora, the second-place team in the league. Hailey Watkins, Estrella Machaco and Ayla Diaz each scored for the Wildcats.
Patterson 3, Manteca 1: Patterson moved to 3-3-3 against VOL opponents on the season with its two-goal home win over Manteca. The Tigers are the third-place team in the league.
Central Catholic 1, Mountain House 1: Jaci Estrada scored the Raiders’ only goal of the game in the second half to even the score after the Mustangs’ first-half goal. Central Catholic moves to 2-4-3 in league.
Sierra 2, Oakdale 1: Both teams scored their goals in the second half but Oakdale could not earn the season sweep against Sierra. The Timberwolves own the VOL’s top spot with an 8-1 record while Oakdale is in second at 6-1-1.
Turlock 9, Modesto 0: Kealani Solis-Coelho netted a hat trick, Mia Valencia and Jocelyn Gutierrez scored twice each and Ellison Williams tallied three assists to lead Turlock to a big win over Modesto. Frankie Ronveaux and Isabella Gonzalez each played a half in goal, combining for the shutout.
