Modesto Christian slows down Salesian to reach Holiday Hoop Classic final

Modesto Christian coach Richard Midgley stalked the sideline with arms spread wide, encouraging his team to play hands-up, active defense.

With a fearless group of freshmen and sophomores, Salesian College Preparatory had run wild the first two days of the 16th annual Holiday Hoop Classic.

The Crusaders had the athletes to keep pace with the run-and-gun Pride, but Midgley understood their best chance of returning to the championship was to cut off the lanes.

So he spread his arms wide on nearly every possession – like a peacock would its feathers – shouting things like “get in the gap” and “no shot.”

Those words framed a 68-56 victory that advanced Modesto Christian to Wednesday’s final against Long Beach Poly, which ousted Immanuel in the other semifinal.

One night after scoring 71 in a victory over Centennial of Bakersfield, Salesian (7-4) was limited to 39 through three quarters, turning the final eight minutes into a mere formality.

In three tournament games, Modesto Christian (9-1), anchored by 6-foot-10 forward Robinson Idehen, is allowing an average of 43 points per game.

“We pride ourselves on the defensive end. That’s what we work on the most in practice,” Midgley said. “We know they’re a team that likes to speed it up. They do a great job in transition, so wanted to limit their transition points.

“Having Robinson in the paint to contest layups helps, too. We could have got some more defensive rebounds; I think they got a few points off the offensive rebound. But other than that, it was a solid effort defensively.”

The Crusaders will need a four-quarter performance Wednesday evening against Long Beach Poly if it has any hope of celebrating its first Holiday Hoop Classic title in 10 years. The Jackrabbits play at warp speed like Salesian with one exception: they have the height to match the Crusaders’ frontcourt.

The Pride had no answer for Idehen, who had a game-high 21 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. He was 9 of 11 from the floor, including a 3-pointer to close the first quarter.

Modesto Christian scored the first 10 points of the game, a cushion it never relinquished. The lead grew to 19 early in the fourth quarter.

The Crusaders scored 40 points in the paint, attacking the bucket at every chance.

Christian Ellis flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Darrian Grays had nine points off the bench, Jordan Hollins-Buckners tallied eight and Josthin Dawkins seven as Modesto Christian ran its winning streak to nine.

“You could see the size mismatch tonight,” Midgley said. “Especially in the first half, we tried to pound it inside. We got ourselves out of rhythm towards the end. We wanted to use a little bit of the clock before running our offense. Their run-and-jump pressure hurt us and not making free throws made it tougher than it should have been.

“In general, though, I’m happy with the result. In these types of tournaments, the win is the most important thing.”

Derek E’Denchukwu paced Salesian with 16 points. E’Denchukwu played with a bandage under his right eye after getting tangled up with Idehen under the basket.

The Pride were slow to start in the first and third quarters. Salesian went 3 minutes, 23 seconds without a point to start the game, and then went three minutes in between points to start the second half.

Modesto Christian is hoping to win its own event for the first time since 2005. The Crusaders have come close in recent years, reaching the final in 2012 and 2014.

Long Beach Poly and coach Shelton Diggs arrive in the final as one of the tournament’s feel-good stories.

The Jackrabbits who last played for the Holiday Hoop Classic title in 2001, have overcome major injury and travel trouble to reach the pinnacle game.

The most notable injury has been to Hawaii-bound guard Drew Buggs, a player some have compared to Crusader point guard Christian Ellis.

Buggs injured his kneecap before the tournament and has cheered Long Beach Poly from the bench with a noticeable limp.

The Jackrabbits have grown stronger with every game since arriving in Modesto minutes before their opener on Saturday.

Road weary and frustrated with a six-hour drive, Long Beach Poly struggled to put away Gregori. Two days later, the Jackrabbits rolled Weston Ranch, a team with two Division II guards and touted as a tournament favorite.

On Tuesday, 6-6 junior Zafir Williams had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 49-43 win over Immanuel.

Even with its depleted roster, Ellis forecast a final between Northern and Southern California heavyweights.

Following a 73-30 victory over Turlock on opening night, Ellis hinted at a potential showdown with the Jackrabbits.

“It’s always a learning experience. Every game we get better and better,” Ellis said in the locker room on Saturday. “We’ll face tougher teams as it goes on. Poly is a good team that we’ll play down the road, so it will be a learning experience. They’ll prepare us for when we get deeper in the playoffs.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 11:58 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian slows down Salesian to reach Holiday Hoop Classic final."