Modesto Christian makes record Open Division appearance, 3 more locals to compete
Central Catholic High girls basketball coach Alison Murata Nichols reminded her team after Friday’s section championship loss to West Campus that they are now in the fourth phase of their season.
“We’ve talked to our team about how we have multiple seasons,” Murata Nichols said after Friday’s game. “So we say that we’re going into season four now, a run at state. I think that knowing we didn’t play our best today, we’re hoping that it fuels us to be able to get back on the court.”
On Sunday afternoon, four Stanislaus District basketball teams found out who their next opponents will be in the CIF Northern California Regional Championships. Each team competes in the single-elimination tournament for a chance to represent Northern California in the CIF state championship later this month.
Modesto Christian is the most recent Stanislaus District basketball team to play for a state championship, taking on Centennial of Corona in 2022. Beyer is in its third NorCal postseason, the most of any Modesto City School.
Modesto Christian is back in Open Division
Modesto Christian is back in the Open, earning the No. 4 seed and the opportunity to host De La Salle in Anderson Gymnasium on Wednesday. The Crusaders hold the NorCal record for appearances in the Open Division. The Crusaders are making their 11th appearance in what MaxPreps ranks the toughest high school state tournament in the nation. A 55-42 win over Sheldon at Golden 1 Center Saturday to claim the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title secured their spot in the Open , though they could have made it with a loss. This happened last season when they fell to Folsom in the section title game but advanced to the Open state tournament. The Crusaders have a boys CIF-SJS record 23 section titles. Sheldon is also in the Open Division. The Huskies travel to St. Ignatius as a No. 6 seed.
Modesto Christian Open Division first round opponent’s inclusion gets mixed reaction
Modesto Christian’s opponent De La Salle is back in the Open Division. The last time the two faced off in the postseason, Gavin Sykes sent the Crusaders to the 2024 Open Division semifinals with a game-winning floater as time expired in a 51-49 thriller.
The Spartans got into the Open partially because it asked to be there, according to an interview with CIF official Brian Seymour published by the Bay Area News Group. De La Salle lost in the North Coast Section Open Division semifinals, but according to Seymour, contacted the NCS commissioner and the state office saying they wanted to play in the Open regardless of where it finished in the section playoffs.
Because of that, NCS Open runner-up Clayton Valley Charter, a school Modesto Christian beat at the Holiday Hoop Classic, is the No. 2 in Division I. NCS Open Division champion Salesian College Prep is the No. 2 team in the Open.
De La Salle’s inclusion in the Open got mixed reviews from the Northern California high school basketball community on social media with some championing the Spartans’ bold ask and others wondering why they were granted the spot just because of a request.
“We don’t often get that,” Seymour said of De La Salle asking to be put into the Open Division. “We thought that was really kind of a cool thing. We knew that there was going to be room in that division, and so we went ahead and did that.”
Beyer is only Modesto City School with multiple NorCal berths
Though they could not win the first section title for a Modesto City Schools high school Saturday against Placer, Beyer remains one of the most decorated postseason programs of the seven city programs. The Patriots are the only team to make multiple section title game appearances and qualify for multiple NorCal postseasons (2017, 2018, 2026). Modesto High in 2006 is the other Modesto City School to make a title game appearance.
Despite their loss to the Hillmen, the Patriots move to their third NorCal appearance as the No. 12 seed in Division III, traveling to the College of Marin to play No. 5 Branson. The Bulls are 18-15 this season, but just two years ago, competed in the Open Division state playoffs with Jase Butler and Semetri Carr. Now, because of the state’s competitive equity seeding, Branson, which was the No. 1 seed and competed in the NCS D-III championship, hosts the Patriots Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Central Catholic girls D-III first round matchup has teams with combined 54 wins
The Raiders weren’t just happy to be there, they wanted to win. But a 30-point explosion from West Campus guard Naomi Johnson coupled with Raiders foul trouble led to a 47-38 loss to the Warriors.
Central Catholic advances to the NorCal Division III tournament as the No. 9 seed, traveling to No. 8 Scotts Valley for a contest that features two of the winningest girls programs this season. The Raiders and Falcons each have 27 wins on the season. Their combined 54 victories are the most of any Tuesday first-round girls matchup.
Escalon is in NorCal tournament after falling in semifinals
Though they fell to Central Catholic in the semifinals, by making the final four in the Division IV Sac-Joaquin Section bracket, Escalon earned itself at least one more game. The Cougars were placed in D-V for the state tournament, being awarded the No. 4 seed and earning at least possible two home games. They host No. 13 Healdsburg Tuesday at 7 p.m. A win would be the second NorCal win in program history and they would advance to the second round and face the winner of No. 12 Castilleja at No. 5 Durham.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 11:28 AM.
