Enochs beats rival Gregori to grab sole possession of second place in MMC girls basketball race

The anticipated showdown between the Enochs and Gregori girls basketball teams, the last two champions in the Modesto Metro Conference, lived up to expectations Thursday night at Enochs High School.

For about 40 seconds, that is.

After the teams traded baskets on the first two possessions of the contest, the Jaguars failed to hit a shot from the field over the next five minutes, by which time the Eagles were well on their way to a 76-36 victory.

On paper, this appeared to be an intriguing matchup.

Both teams were 5-1 in the MMC entering Thursday’s contest, and both teams had lost to league newcomer Modesto Christian by similar margins – Enochs was defeated 67-27, and Gregori fell 66-24. But it didn’t take long for this one to become, well, less than intriguing.

After taking that 2-0 lead, the Jags hit only two free throws until Mariah McDuffy nailed a three-pointer with 2:54 to play in the stanza.

“Besides MC, Gregori is our biggest rival,” said Enochs junior Katie Dillon, who led all scorers with 20 points. “It’s why we came out so hard tonight, because it was Gregori.”

As hard as the Eagles played in the opening quarter, they played even harder after halftime, limiting the Jags to two points while tallying 21 points for a third consecutive quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, Enochs led 63-25 and put four juniors and a sophomore on the floor.

Dillon – who also contributed three rebounds, three steals and two assists – was joined in double figures by junior teammate Mia Viss, who totaled 12 points. Akaysha Simpkins, the reigning MVP in the conference, added seven points and a six rebounds.

The Eagles made 50 percent (24 of 48) of their field-goal attempts inside the arc and were 38 percent (6 of 16) from long range. About the only spot from which Enochs didn’t shoot well was the free-throw line, where it hit just 10 of 21.

Gregori junior guard Reannon Driskill, the lone Jaguar to score in double figures, finished with 13 points.

“I feel bad for my starters,” Enochs coach Curtis Reynolds said. “They don’t get to play much in the fourth quarter.”

Except against MC, right Coach?

“Well, right, but they have to shoot better than they did last time against MC,” Reynolds joked, “or they won’t be starters for long.”

Enochs will get another crack at the Crusaders on Feb. 5 in Salida.

“We feel like if we play our best, we can have a shot against them,” Dillon said. “But even if we don’t win, we at least want to give them a fight.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Enochs beats rival Gregori to grab sole possession of second place in MMC girls basketball race."