Basketball notes: Downey boys hoops trusting the process in hunt for postseason berth
The Downey boys basketball team is trusting the process and, in year two of its rebuild, it’s starting to see the results.
After all district and current Stanislaus state guard Lloyd French graduated in 2023, the Knights searched for answers. After going 23-6 in 2022-23, French’s senior season, and a perfect 10-0 in CCAL play, they went 11-18 and 6-4 in the CCAL the next season, making the playoffs.
Last year, Downey missed the playoffs for the first time in the Mitch Evans era, in a year the head coach went young. He loaded the varsity team with five freshmen and a sophomore and built for the future. The Knights went 4-22 overall last season but didn’t run from competition. They played Beyer, which was in the midst of its best season in school history, three times, played Modesto Christian and a section finalist in El Capitan.
This season, the Knights already have nearly tripled last season’s win total as the young players grew into varsity basketball and the speed of the game. They had success, winning four of five games early in the season but also took some lumps, losing a stretch of one-possession games.
It all prepared them to make a run in league play. Heading into Wednesday’s league rematch against Gregori, Downey has won four of their last five games with a 53-51 double overtime win over Turlock and a blowout 75-27 win over Pitman in back-to-back Friday night showdowns.
“Last year, it was an everyday thing, keeping them focused on what they could be eventually,” Evans said. “This year, we’re starting to be in a lot more games and we’re figuring out how to win consistently and put it together for a full game. There’s been ups and downs still, but they’re starting to see what it could be and see their potential.”
Evans said the Pitman game is the best the team has played all season. They opened up a 31-4 first-quarter advantage, a 48-13 halftime lead and allowed three points in the fourth quarter after leading 63-24 after three frames.
Sophomore leading scorer Andrew Miller posted a career-high 25 points with seven made threes and added four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Trey Richards added 12 points and Michael Richardson had 10 points and seven rebounds. Solomon Paris tallied a team-high six assists in an all-around effort that included five points, four rebounds, two steals and a block.
As a team the Knights drained 11 threes.
“In all facets I’d say (this is the best we played),” Evans said. “Usually, our defense keeps us in a lot of games and our offense has been kind of sputtering a little bit. But today, it was all together doing really well.”
Downey, which is 11-13 overall, is 4-2 in league play with a shot at getting back to the postseason. The Knights sit behind undefeated Enochs and second place Gregori. On Wednesday, they look to split with the Jaguars, hosting them before two road games against Turlock and Modesto. They take on the Eagles in the regular season finale at home.
“For us, with where our group is, it’s about trying to stay focused on doing our job that game, then everything kind of handles itself,” Evans said.
Central Catholic girls to compete for VOL basketball title
The Central Catholic girls basketball team is in the most important stretch of its season. The Raiders are 21-1 overall and can put themselves in good position to secure a share of the Valley Oak League championship with a pair of home games. Tuesday, they host Mountain House, and they welcome East Union on Thursday. The Mustangs and Lancers tied for first in the league last season with 11-1 records, but Mountain House sits at 1-7 this season in league play.
The Raiders can’t look past the Mustangs, though, as they anticipate what could be yet another high-level, intense matchup against the Lancers. East Union has either shared a VOL title or won outright in each of the past five full seasons.
After their first matchup, a 62-58 overtime loss that is still the Raiders’ only loss this season, Central Catholic head coach Alison Murata Nichols said that while they played to win, they did not win or lose the league title on that day. Now, they play again, this time with the Raiders’ best chance at forcing a co-title on the line.
After this big week of games, Central Catholic finishes the regular season Feb. 12 on the road against Sierra of Manteca.
Modesto Christian boys to compete in SJS top 10 matchup
With four regular season games left, the Modesto Christian boys basketball team is 18-6 overall and 9-0 in the Tri-City Athletic League. They have the chance to stay perfect in league play and close in on their fourth straight undefeated league championship Wednesday in a big matchup against Lincoln of Stockton (17-6, 6-3 TCAL). The Crusaders look to continue their streak of over 18 straight league championship seasons through the Southern League, Trans-Valley League, Modesto Metro Conference and TCAL.
In their first matchup in January, the Crusaders pulled out a wire-to-wire 76-64 win and had four double-digit scorers. Trevor Dickson scored a team-high 23 points with four made threes and six rebounds, Siincere Hudson had 20 points, four rebounds and five assists, Elijah Payne added 13 points and Somto Patrick nearly finished with a triple double, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks.
If a matchup between the two top schools in the top basketball league in this part of the section isn’t appealing enough, this game is also a Sac-Joaquin Section top 10 matchup. The Crusades are the No. 2 team in the section while the Trojans are No. 6, according to the MaxPreps section rankings.
The varsity game tips off at 7:30 p.m.
