Top seed Modesto Christian routs Pitman to earn D-I first-round win
No matter how good your regular season was, the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys basketball playoffs are a different animal.
First-place finishers from across the section’s best leagues, with some of the section’s best players, are littered throughout the ultra-competitive D-I bracket. The division has become so competitive that each year, the section’s seeding committee struggles to place each team in its most deserving slot.
All 18 teams enter with the hopes of winning a blue banner, a goal just one team accomplishes. For the past three seasons, that team has been Modesto Christian. After reaching the pinnacle last season, returners Gavin Sykes, Myles Jones and Ry Atkins know how to get there, and they’re bringing their young teammates along with them.
“They understand and we expect those guys to be leaders for our young group,” Crusaders coach Brice Fantazia said.
After finishing the regular season as undefeated Tri-City Athletic League champions, Modeseto Christian’s first playoff test was Pitman High. The Pride entered Wednesday’s matchup as one of the top teams out of the Central California Athletic League. They earned a play-in win Tuesday night as the No. 16 seed.
The Crusaders jumped out to an early 20-10 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 38-19 at halftime. They used that momentum to power them to a 74-35 first-round victory.
Sykes finished with a team-high 18 points, six assists and three steals, and Jones added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Nine total Crusaders scored at least four points.
“We told the guys before the game … (the playoffs are) what teams are judged on,” Fantazia said. “I think we came out with a focus and attention to detail. I thought Pitman did come to play, they didn’t back down at all.”
The Crusaders didn’t look at Pitman as a typical 16-seed. If not for a late-season skid, the Pride easily could have been a top-12 seed in Division I. A Turlock native, Fantazia was coached by Pitman coach Harvey Marable when he was younger. Marable earlier this season earned his 300th varsity win at Pitman High.
“We have tons of respect for them and we taught our guys to be paranoid about everybody,” Fantazia said.
Modesto Christian game-planned for Pitman stars Avery Sanchez and Cole Martin, the Pride’s leading scorers. Sanchez finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Martin tallied 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
“We really focused on those two, and I thought they still played really well tonight,” Fantazia said. “When we watched film, we made sure to tell our guys Avery and Cole can beat you.”
With the win, the Crusaders host No. 8 Franklin of Elk Grove on Friday at 7 p.m. in the D-I quarterfinals.
Boys Basketball
Division I
No. 4 Lincoln 84, No. 13 Gregori 51: The co-CCAL champions, Gregori fell in the first round to one of the top teams in the section all season, Lincoln. The Trojans snapped the Jaguars’ five-game win streak. Gregori finished the season 23-5 overall and 8-2 in league play.
No. 3 Folsom 84, No. 14 Enochs 39: Enochs saw its season end in the first round of the Division I playoffs Wednesday night, scoring under 40 points for the third time this season. The Eagles finish the year with an 18-10 record and an 8-2 CCAL record along with a co-league championship.
No. 2 Inderkum 81, No. 15 Turlock 33: A day after winning their play-in contest, the Bulldogs traveled to No. 2 Inderkum in the first round of the D-I playoffs. Turlock’s season ends with a 14-14 overall record and a 6-4 league record.
Division III
No. 1 Christian Brothers 71, No. 16 Oakdale 47: Oakdale trailed 30-13 at halftime but could not get closer as the game continued. The Mustangs trailed 51-34 at the end of the third quarter. The Mustangs finished with the most wins in a season since 2018-19.
No. 12 River Valley 58, No. 5 Central Catholic 55: The Raiders were upset Wednesday night at home, falling to the Falcons in a tightly contested 32-minute matchup. A Jordan Magana three-point play gave the Raiders a 55-52 lead with 3:13 left to play, but River Valley scored six unanswered points to win. Central Catholic finished with a 17-2 overall record and a co-VOL title
No. 10 El Capitan 65, No. 7 Beyer 54: The Patriots’ historic season came to an end at the hands of the Gauchos. This season, Beyer set program records for overall wins and consecutive wins. Beyer finished with a 25-4 overall record and a WAC title.
Division IV
No. 3 Ripon Christian 58, No. 14 Sutter 38: Mason Tamelinc (18 points), Jake Vander Veen (14) and EJ Bruno (10) all scored in double figures as Ripon Christian overcame a 9-0 deficit to win its D-IV opener. The Knights host No. 6 Colfax on Friday at 7 p.m.
No. 6 Colfax 57, No. 11 Escalon 45: Escalon traveled to Colfax for a first round matchup but fell to the Falcons by 12 points. Escalon finishes the season 17-12 overall and 7-5 in TVL play.
No. 7 Ripon 72, No. 10 Union Mine 61: Ripon put up over 70 points for the fifth time this season, keeping its campaign alive with a first-round playoff home win. As the seven-seed, Ripon travels to No. 2 Casa Roble on Thursday for a 7 p.m. quarterfinal matchup.
Division V
No. 10 Big Valley Christian 68, No. 7 River Islands 59: Big Valley traveled to Lathrop and upset River Islands in the opening game of the Division V postseason. The Lions travel to No. 2 Argonaut on Friday for a quarterfinal matchup.
Boys Soccer
Division I
No. 9 Pleasant Grove 2, No. 8 Gregori 1: Gregori allowed one goal in each half in an evenly matched 8-9 contest. The Jaguars finish the season 12-7-2 overall.
No. 5 Turlock 2, No. 12 Jesuit 1: Fernando Carbajal and Sebastian Carbajal scored for Turlock as it earned its 13th win this season. The Bulldogs travel to No. 4 Lincoln on Friday for a quarterfinals matchup.
No. 3 Central Valley 2, No. 14 River City 0: Central Valley advanced to 17-6-6 overall with Wednesday’s first-round playoff win. The Hawks host No. 11 Inderkum, which upset Kennedy, on Friday.
Division II
No. 5 Downey 2, No. 12 Golden Valley 1 (OT): The Knights and Cougars needed overtime to determine Wednesday’s first-round playoff game. Downey travels to No. 4 Rocklin on Friday for what could be the best Division II game of the week.
No. 6 Pitman 4, No. 11 Merced 0: Zack Looney, Giancarlo Nakamura, Davian Lizarra and Francisco Villanueva each scored for Pitman as it easily handled visiting Merced with a shutout. The Pride travels to No. 3 Grant on Friday for a 6 p.m. matchup.
Division III
No. 17 Pioneer 2, No. 1 Patterson 1: The top seed in Division III, Patterson was upset in the first round by No. 17 Pioneer. Oscar Herrera-Morales scored the Tigers’ only goal, assisted by Andrew Diaz. Patterson finishes the season with a 15-1-4 overall record and an 11-0-1 VOL record.
