Turlock at Pitman highlights opening night as Section pairings announced

The Sac-Joaquin Section released brackets for the boys and girls basketball playoffs Thursday, with few surprises.

But a boys Division I play-in game raised more than a few eyebrows in the Stanislaus District.

Pitman High, co-champion of the Central California Conference, got a home play-in game against crosstown rival and CCC co-champ Turlock.

Instead of going directly to the first round, the Pride (15-8) will host its rival Friday night at 7 p.m.

Pitman was passed over in favor of No. 13 Chavez (18-9), the third-place team in the San Joaquin Athletic Association, and West (17-10), the third-place team in the Tri-Counties Athletic League.

“I noticed that,” Pitman coach Harvey Marable said. “That would be a good subject to address: Why would a league champion be placed so low? But we look it this way: We’re still playing, in what will be a great atmosphere, with the support of the community that will have to great programs playing.”

Turlock coach Doug Cornfoot also took note.

“Last year, we won the league and we were a 16 seed,” Cornfoot said. “So, nothing surprises me. It seems like (the Sacramento area) gets all the love. If I was Harvey, I’d be upset.”

The Bulldogs, with a 9-18 overall record, probably were destined for the play-in game regardless of where they fell. Turlock played a rugged preseason schedule, but without guard Oscar Moreno, stumbled to a 1-16 start. Once Moreno rejoined the team for the start of league play the Bulldogs went 8-2.

“I am happy that we don’t have to drive two hours to Sacramento, though,” Cornfoot said. “And if we were playing a team we’d never seen before, we wouldn’t have much time to prepare. At least we’re playing a team we’re familiar with.”

Will DeBoard, Sac-Joaquin Section director of communications, addressed the matchup during the section’s online show announcing the pairings.

“When we look at who are the 16 and 17 strongest teams, we never felt it was right to move a 15 down to play an extra game,” DeBoard said. “I will say it was a lengthy discussion.”

In the final analysis, it’s likely to matter little. Eventually, Turlock or Pitman was going to run into a Northern California powerhouse – Folsom, Modesto Christian or Sheldon.

Modesto Christian’s boys (26-1) were awarded the No. 2 seed in Division I behind top-seeded Folsom (24-3), which beat the Crusaders 53-51 on a neutral floor in the season opener.

“It’s kind of what we expected,” said Crusaders coach Richard Midgley, whose team is ranked sixth in the state and No. 1 in NorCal by Cal-Hi Sports and will open at home Wednesday against No. 15 West. “One or two, either way, we’re going to have some tough games. We’re fine with it.”

Central Catholic’s boys (21-5) were made the top seed in the D-IV playoffs, a nod to the talent-rich Valley Oak League, which saw conference champ Weston Ranch grab the No. 1 seed in the D-III bracket. The Raiders host No. 16 Delhi on Wednesday.

Beyer High’s boys were seeded No. 5 in the D-II bracket, drawing No. 12 Grant in the first round. The Beyer-Grant matchup is a rematch of the D-II football first-round back on Nov. 13.

Golden Valley’s girls got good news in the form of a No. 5 seed in the D-I bracket, but the bad news is that the Cougars (23-4) could have to face unbeaten St. Mary’s (Stockton), the No. 1 team in the nation. Modesto Christian’s girls, seeded eighth, get a first-round home game against No. 9 Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, but would have to face St. Mary’s in the second round. That might prevent the Crusaders from reaching the section semifinals, a requisite for advancing to the NorCal regionals and having any shot at a state crown.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Turlock at Pitman highlights opening night as Section pairings announced."