Off to the races: Ellis steers Modesto Christian basketball past Capital Christian

With the ball in his hand, point guard Christian Ellis is the picture of confidence and control.

Modesto Christian High School’s Corvette-quick senior pushes the pace at every chance, daring teams to stretch a sprint into a marathon.

On Saturday, Capital Christian ran with the Crusaders for two quarters before tapping out 89-60.

Ellis flirted with a triple double against one of the premier basketball teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

He was at his best off the defensive rebound, covering the length of the floor in a matter of seconds.

“Go get it,” he said of his mentality on a miss. “Just push. Look for the open man in transition. Most players tend to back up and get on their heels. All you have to do is make one move and it’s a wide-open layup.”

And so Modesto Christian’s march toward the postseason continues. The Crusaders (23-1) have won 23 consecutive games since a season-opening setback to Folsom, a potential Division I playoff opponent.

Along the way, Modesto Christian’s speed and style have turned even the best into mush. The Crusaders have run Salesian College Preparatory of Richmond, Long Beach Poly, Brookside Christian and now Capital Christian into the ground.

On Saturday, Modesto Christian distanced itself with a 25-8 flurry in the third quarter. Then, for good measure, the Crusaders started the fourth on a 17-2 tear.

“It was a four-point game at half, and we talked about our defense and talked about a few things we thought we could do better,” Crusaders coach Richard Midgley said. “I thought we wore them down and ran them into the ground in that second half, and that’s how we broke it open.”

The marquee nonleague win could shake up the Northern California rankings. Modesto Christian entered the weekend No. 6 in Cal-Hi Sports’ statewide poll – the highest of any Northern California team – but trailed De La Salle in MaxPreps’ regional rankings. The Crusaders were ranked fifth, behind De La Salle (1), Moreau Catholic (2), Sacramento (3) and Folsom (4).

On Saturday, Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis tweeted the Crusaders’ triumph – coupled with De La Salle’s loss to Centennial – could vault Modesto Christian to No. 1 in the regional rankings.

They’d get no arguments from those at the north end of Sisk Road.

“I feel like we’re as athletic as anyone and in better shape than everyone,” Midgley said. “We try to speed teams up, and we try to run them. With that tempo, if teams miss jump shots, it feeds into our transition. Once you get that momentum, it’s hard to break it.”

Ellis is the maestro, completely at ease steering this rocket ship at light speed. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his second varsity season.

Though Ellis’ recruitment has been relatively quiet, Midgley, a former guard at Cal, believes the senior is one of the best point guards in the state.

“Christian, he’s the most under-appreciated good player out there,” Midgley said. “People don’t realize how good he is. Him not picking up a lot of college offers; that doesn’t make sense to me. He’s the one guy that carries us.

“There’s no one like him. He can handle pressure. He can blow by you. He can finish. He gets Robinson (Idehen) all his touches. He’s got that fire and that competitiveness. At the guard position, he and Rob kind of make us go. I thought he was excellent today.”

Modesto Christian didn’t wake up on the eve of the 2015-16 season and discover its NASCAR speed. Ellis said the Crusaders have been conditioned, physically and mentally, to play with tempo.

Saturday’s two-hour exhibition was the result of months and months of training. If you could peek behind the closed doors of the gymnasium or weight room, Ellis said you’d find wars even more intense than the games.

“It takes conditioning and working hard; getting in the gym every single day,” Ellis said. “And if you don’t practice like you play, you’ll never get to that level. We try to practice as hard as we can, and that’s why our energy level is so high. Our practices are just as hard as these games.”

Ellis was one of five players in double figures for the Crusaders on Saturday. Darrian Grays tallied 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, connecting on 4 of 6 three-pointers. Sophomore Tyler Williams was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and scored all 15 of his points during the second-half onslaught.

Idehen had a double double, collecting 15 rebounds to go along with 19 points. The 6-foot-10 forward also blocked four shots. Josthin Dawkins had 12 points in his return from a one-game suspension. Nico Rojas Rojas had six points and 10 rebounds as Modesto Christian outworked the Cougars on the glass 51-34.

“We came out strong, and everyone had confidence,” Ellis said. “They had a lot of hype. Everyone was ready to play, ready to give them that loss.”

Modesto Christian started the second half on a 12-2 run, highlighted by Ellis’ steal and layup to make it 51-37.

Moments after picking up his third foul, Ellis snatched a loose ball below the foul line. In about three seconds – before a Capital Christian assistant coach could finish barking “Get ba …” – Ellis was soaring toward the opposite rim for the finish.

“As long as we got our guys running on the wings, it’s a one-on-one in transition,” Midgley said. “And literally no one in the state can guard Christian in transition.

“If he gets into the paint, and as long as he’s making good decisions, which I thought he did today, he’s deadly.”

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Off to the races: Ellis steers Modesto Christian basketball past Capital Christian."