‘We find a way’: Modesto Christian seals TCAL title with one-point win over Lincoln
The Modesto Christian boys basketball team won Wednesday’s Tri-City Athletic League game against Lincoln of Stockton exactly how it wanted: on defense.
With the Crusaders ahead 57-56 with 23 seconds left, Lincoln inbounded the ball and advanced into its frontcourt. As time ticked, Modesto Christian defenders stayed in their positions. As the ball swung to the corner with under 10 seconds left, the defense sent a double team. Lincoln’s Tre Simmons drove along the baseline and Modesto Christian rotated, forcing an errant pass that hit the bottom of the backboard as time expired. The Trojans did not get a shot up.
“To weather the storm and for 24 seconds for the league title to be on the line and to go get a stop and everybody was connected — that kind of sums up the season,” Crusaders first-year head coach Chris Teevan said. “Even when it’s not going perfect for us, we find a way.”
The defensive stand and 57-56 win kept the Crusaders a perfect 10-0 in TCAL play and guaranteed them an outright TCAL title for the fifth time since entering the league in the 2018-19 season. They have claimed at least a co-title every year they have been in the league, sharing with St. Mary’s in 2018-19 and Lincoln in 2021-22.
Modesto Christian also extended its win streak against Lincoln to 11 games. The two sides have had intense battles, from the 2024 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship at Golden 1 Center, when MC clinched its third straight section title, to last season’s semifinals matchup. In that game, Gavin Sykes scored 45 points to send the Crusaders to the D-I title game for a fourth straight season.
“I live in North Stockton and it’s so fun to drive to practice every day,” Teevan said. “They practice hard, they’re about each other. They deserve all the championships that come to them. But at the end of the day, we need to go through stuff like this and check these boxes. You have to go through these moments together, and I think they’re doing that.”
Junior Trevor Dickson finished with a team-high 20 points, scoring just exactly at his point per game average and tallying his 14th game with at least 20 points this season.
He made his mark in the first quarter, scoring 13 of the Crusaders’ 15 points in the opening frame and outscoring the Trojans by himself, 13-8. He showcased his improvements as a three-level scorer, knocking down threes, bolstering his reputation as one of the best shooters in California, knocking down midrange jump shots after shaking off defenders with stepbacks and getting to the rim, converting on layups to keep the Lincoln defense off balance.
Dickson is in his third season on the Crusaders’ varsity team, but this has been a breakout campaign. A shooter and defender for his first two seasons, Dickson improved his on ball presence, finishing and maintaining a silky smooth jump shot. When he came into the season after last year’s stars Gavin Sykes and Myles Jones graduated, Dickson became the team’s go-to guy. It started with him playing point guard while he waited for players to be eligible in January. Then he was the team’s scorer. As players have gone in and out of the lineup, his role has changed. While putting on many hats for the Stanislaus District’s top-ranked team, Dickson has seen double teams and full denial by some of the best teams in California.
“I wouldn’t say I expected (this role), but I was ready for it,” Dickson said. “We had some guys transfer over the summer so it was my time to step up, and once I got my name called, I had to get to work. When guys got eligible, I stayed in the (scoring) role, but having all the guys helps a lot.”
Teevan said Dickson is not just the section’s fastest-growing player on the court, he is becoming the face of the Crusaders’ program.
“He’s the highest basketball character kid I’ve ever met. Whatever it takes. He’s smart, focused, cares about basketball. If it was a 2K game, he’d be a 100 out of 100,” Teevan said. “He’s not just stepping into a role in the basketball part, he’s stepping into a role at the school. … The way he leads and connects people on the court and off the court is important.”
The Crusaders still are getting better as the season progresses.
They were a completely different team for the first few games, before transfers became eligible. Then they incorporated Inderkum transfer Siincere Hudson, Pitman transfer Cole Martin and West transfer Jayden Richardson and players’ roles changed again. Then they dealt with injuries to Elijah Payne, a three-year varsity player and starter, forcing another adjustment.
Wednesday night, Payne was sidelined with a high ankle sprain, but the Crusaders pushed through. Though the game got close, often too close for the Crusaders’ comfort, Modesto Christian never trailed.
The TCAL’s No. 1 team led 15-8 after the first quarter, a lead Lincoln cut to three by halftime, 28-25. The Crusaders played their best in the third quarter, going ahead by as much as 11 and holding a 46-36 lead at the end of the frame.
Seve Archuleta grabbed a rebound and made a floater with 3 minutes, 2 seconds left in the game to give the Crusaders a 57-46 lead. Those were the team’s final points. During that span, the Trojans went on a 10-0 run, forcing Modesto Christian to come up with a stop on the final possession.
With 23.7 seconds left in the game and the league title on the line, the Crusaders got the stop of the season.
Teevan said the goal is for the team to get better as the season continues. The Crusaders want to play for another month, deep into the section and state playoffs.
“For us, something like this is a learning experience, and we’re growing, and we only have one senior,” Teevan said.
Modesto Christian has three regular season games left. Two are league games against Tracy (Feb. 6) and St. Mary’s (Feb. 11). The Crusaders’ third game, a nonleague road matchup against Weston Ranch, is Feb. 9.
