Modesto Christian ranked No. 44 in Fab 50 national poll

The Modesto Christian boys basketball team stepped into the national spotlight this week after defeating a string of state-ranked opponents en route to the CIF Northern California Open Division semifinal.

The Crusaders (31-1) made their season debut in BallIsLife.com’s Fab 50 national ranking at No. 44. Modesto Christian is the only team from Northern California to appear in the top-50.

Sacramento (30-1) and De La Salle (29-2), which comprise the other Northern California Open Division semifinal, are listed as bubble teams.

The spotlight could get even brighter should one of those teams reach the state final with two wins this week.

Piloted by the Ball brothers, national No. 1 Chino Hills is the prohibitive favorite to emerge as the Southern California champion, and would bring considerable clout to the final at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

According to Cal-Hi Sports, Chino Hills has tied the state record for most 100-point games in a season with 18. UCLA-bound senior Lonzo Ball has already won multiple national player of the year awards.

Some prognosticators have positioned Modesto Christian in the catbird’s seat, though it’s seeded second in the NorCal Open behind De La Salle.

The Crusaders have won 31 consecutive games, including three in a row over state-ranked opponents, and avenged their only loss of the season by defeating Folsom in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I final. They did so handily, too.

BallIsLife.com editor Ronnie Flores notes in his rankings, “New No. 44 Modesto Christian has avenged its only loss to Folsom and is riding a 31-game winning streak. The Crusaders could potentially meet Chino Hills in the state title game if it captures the NorCal Open Division title with two victories this week.”

First things first.

Modesto Christian will host sixth-seeded Sheldon of Elk Grove (23-5) in a Open Division semifinal at Modesto Junior College on Tuesday evening. Tip off is 7.

The game was moved to a new site to accommodate a larger crowd, per CIF State guidelines. On Friday, a line of fans stretched into the parking lot an hour before the start of Modesto Christian’s thrilling 54-51 victory over Saint Francis.

The game will be a rematch of their Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal won by the Crusaders 74-67 on March 2. Senior point guard Christian Ellis had a career-high 32 points in the victory.

Along with its debut in the national poll, Modesto Christian climbed to No. 4 in Cal-Hi Sports’ state ranking, leapfrogging Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth and Mater Dei of Santa Ana.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian ranked No. 44 in Fab 50 national poll."