Prep notes: Britton brothers push the pace at Zador Invite

The Britton brothers helped deliver thrilling finishes at the Ervin Zador Invitational on Saturday morning.

Albeit in supporting roles.

Gregori High School senior Christian Britton pushed reigning All-District Boys Swimmer of the Year Scott Tolman of Sierra in the 200-yard individual medley.

Tolman defeated his Ripon Aquatics teammate in a finish almost too close to call. Britton (1 minute, 56.23 seconds) finished a fraction of a second behind Tolman, who posted a time of 1:56.10. Nobody else was within 10 seconds of the future roommates at Cal Baptist.

Later, Tolman was tested by Gregori sophomore Andrew Britton and Ripon’s Ty Wells in the 100 breaststroke. All three swam Sac-Joaquin Section qualifying times. Tolman (58.13) and Britton (59.59) touched the wall in under a minute, while Wells finished a close third at 1:00.87.

Wells showed his closing speed in the 100 butterfly, overtaking Trevor Fast of Sierra in the final 50 yards. Wells won in 53.05, about a half-second faster than Fast.

On the strength of wins by Christian Britton (100 freestyle), Andrew Britton (200 freestyle) and Aiden Wong (100 backstroke), Gregori won the boys title with 128 points.

The Ripon girls won their third straight Zador Invitational with 198 points. The Indians won every event except for one, getting victories from Hannah Sweet (200 IM, 500 freestyle), Elizabeth Wenner (50 freestyle, 100 backstroke), Mallory Brubaker (200 freestyle) and Kyra Foley (100 breaststroke).

Ripon edged Gregori for the overall title, 226.6-222.

The Jaguars will be back in the spotlight Saturday at the Southern Section Swim Championships at Johansen High’s B. Brent Bohlender Aquatic Center. The field includes Merced, Los Banos, Golden Valley, El Capitan, Buhach Colony, Turlock, Pitman, Oakdale, Sonora, Enochs, Beyer, Downey, Johansen, Modesto and Ceres.

All-CCAA basketball honors – It was slim pickings at the Central California Athletic Association’s coaches meetings for Stanislaus District basketball teams.

Turlock Christian, Big Valley Christian and Stone Ridge Christian failed to receive a first-team selection for boys or girls.

Turlock Christian senior guard Cassie Balswick was a second-team selection. One of the section’s top defenders, Balswick led the Eagles to their third straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI final. The senior guard averaged 10.4 points, 7.2 assists and 7.4 steals.

On the boys side, Caleb Hoag of Big Valley Christian and Max Tyson of Turlock Christian were second-team picks.

Hoag was third in the league in scoring at 19.1 points per game. The junior scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games with a season-high 33 against Waterford.

Tyson averaged 10.6 points and 13.1 rebounds for the Eagles, who finished 4-21.

The CCAA MVP awards went to Brookside Christian’s Da’Vion Barlow (boys) and Aarion McDonald (girls).

Manteca soccer searches for a cure – The Manteca girls soccer program will host its annual “Kicking for a Cure” fundraiser April 25.

On the field, the Valley Oak League-leading Buffaloes will play Lathrop. Off the field, however, Manteca will do its best to raise money for Isaac Flores Herrera, a 7-year-old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.

In five years of “Kicking for a Cure,” Manteca has raised more than $30,000 for charity and local children in need. The game will feature a raffle and silent auction. All proceeds from the game, including gate and concessions, will be donated to the Herrera family.

For more information or to make a donation, call Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg at 209-608-0652. Donations can be sent directly to the school at MHS Athletic Boosters – Kicking for a Cure, 450 East Yosemite Ave., Manteca, CA 95336.

Tweetables – First place in the Modesto Metro Conference will be on the line Wednesday night when the Gregori girls soccer team (5-5-1, 4-0-1) hosts Downey (9-0-4, 4-0-1). Kickoff is at 6:30. ... The Knights are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the Stanislaus District. The other is Sierra in the Valley Oak League at 15-0-4.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Prep notes: Britton brothers push the pace at Zador Invite."