Modesto Christian boys exact revenge, defeat Folsom in Sac-Joaquin Section title game

Christian Ellis leapt for the loose ball, avoiding a tangle of body parts in his path. With a scoop and slide, the Modesto Christian point guard secured the steal and the crown.

Richard Midgely knew it, too.

After Ellis deftly called for a timeout, the Crusader coach met his boys on the court, pumping his fist in appreciation of their finishing kick.

Modesto Christian moved up to the land of big dogs and seized yet another Sac-Joaquin Section title on Saturday at Sleep Train Arena. With a 61-45 victory over No. 1 Folsom, the second-seeded Crusaders (30-1) secured their section-best 18th championship and fifth in a row.

The last four have come at different divisions, a steady climb up the food chain for a school of only 300 students.

“This is good for us because we don’t get the recognition we deserve,” said Ellis, a four-time section champion. “Every year, we’re moving up one level in division. I feel like no one can say Modesto Christian isn’t this or this when we’ve won in Division IV, III, II and now I. No one can take anything from us now.”

This one will continue to bear fruit, too. With wins over Sheldon and Folsom (27-4), Modesto Christian will likely be the top overall seed in the CIF Northern California Open Division regional tournament, which begins next Wednesday.

The brackets will be announced on Sunday. That gives Modesto Christian less than a day to savor its latest triumph.

“That’s what was exciting about Division I this year. We knew there would be two heavyweight match-ups. We really had to earn the section championship,” Midgley said. “We have tremendous belief in our players and feel we can compete with anyone. It was good for us to play with Sheldon and Folsom, two of the top teams in section, and come out with the win.”

Six-foot-10 forward Robinson Idehen had 18 points and 13 rebounds, shaking off a rough two-game stretch by his own standards.

Jay Chen had 14 points, Darrian Grays chipped in 11 and Ellis finished with seven for the Crusaders, who closed the section’s marquee game with a 33-16 push.

The loss was Folsom’s first in a section final. The Bulldogs were the defending Division I champions, and didn’t let go of their title easily.

Jordan Ford had 19 points, but was limited to just three in the second half as the Crusaders locked in on the two-time Sacramento Bee player of the year. Midgley had two players meet the St. Mary’s-bound point guard at midcourt, bogging down the Bulldogs’ attack and forcing the ball into another’s hands.

Ford’s supporting cast buckled beneath the pressure. No other player scored in double figures for the Sierra Foothill League champions, who flat-lined down the stretch.

Folsom scored just 16 second-half points and only nine over the final 12 minutes, 47 seconds.

“We felt confident this time. We made some adjustments, guarded Jordan Ford a little differently today and that helped us,” Midgley said. “Jordan is special. When it comes to crunch time, he makes play after play after play. We wanted someone else to beat us.”

Modesto Christian fed off the Dogs’ struggles, turning rebounds into transition points. Quiet for most of the night, Jordan Hollins-Buckner laced a three-pointer from the wing to make it 52-41.

Folsom coach Mike Wall whistled for a timeout, hoping to stem the Crusaders’ surge, but it proved useless. Modesto Christian roared out of the break with a 6-0 run, initiating the coronation process.

The Division I title is Modesto Christian’s third overall and first since the 2002 season.

Folsom set the tone for Saturday’s D-I title tilt on the first day of the season. Back then, Folsom found themselves paired with Modesto Christian, the No. 1 ranked team in Northern California, at the Prep2Prep Tip-Off Classic on Thanksgiving weekend.

Though well-coached and blessed with a college-caliber backcourt, the Bulldogs’ 53-51 victory registered as an upset.

Mason Forbes (nine points) provided the measure of victory with two free throws late. The 6-foot-7 sophomore was fouled attempting a dunk.

The Crusaders were also assessed a technical foul during warm-ups, resulting in a pair of free throws for Folsom to start the game. Officials caught Idehen dunking before the game — a no-no in the world of high school basketball.

Nearly four months later, very little continues to separate the Crusaders and the Bulldogs.

Modesto Christian led 16-14 after the first quarter, despite losing its floor general to foul trouble. Ellis, the hero in Modesto Christian’s win over Oak Ridge and Sheldon, went to the bench with 3:07 left in the first quarter after picking up his second foul.

That made life easier on Ford and Menlo College-bound guard Jared Wall (eight points), who pushed Folsom into the lead in the second quarter.

Ford scored seven of the Bulldogs’ first nine points in the quarter. He stepped in front of a pass and finished the fast-break with his right hand, cleverly shielding his opponent with his body.

He also laced a three-pointer from the wing off an in-bounds play he began, and then made it 23-21 with 4:23 left. Ford led all players with 16 points at the half.

Wall’s jump shot with a hand in his face gave Folsom its biggest lead, 29-25, with 2:17 remaining.

Modesto Christian closed within one, 29-28.

Idehen came out of his two-game funk with a team-high 10 points at the half. Chen had eight, while Grays and Ellis had three apiece.

“He was big time today,” Midgley said of Idehen. “The last couple of games weren’t his best effort. We needed every one of his points and rebounds today. Right from the start, he did exactly what we asked of him. When he’s rolling with Christian and other guys, it’s a pretty tough match-up for anyone.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 11:33 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian boys exact revenge, defeat Folsom in Sac-Joaquin Section title game."