Central Valley’s boys basketball team played host to crosstown-rival Ceres High this past week.

The Hawks defended their home court with a thrilling 54-50 win over the Bulldogs in front of a large crowd Friday evening.

“It was really competitive,” Central Valley leader Mike Rodriguez stated. “No team got a big lead. It was back and forth like it typically is. We were able to hold them off. It was nice to get a win. They beat us by big margins both times last year.”

“We competed and that’s a step forward,” Ceres High head coach T.J. Walker Jr. said.

The Hawks improved to 11-10 overall and 5-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Bulldogs dropped to 7-14 overall and 2-5 in the WAC.

Central Valley moved into a tie for second place in the league standings with Grace Davis.

Ceres High fell to sixth place.

The Hawks remained in the hunt for a playoff berth.

The Bulldogs don’t have any room for error moving forward.

“We’re playing pretty well right now,” Rodriguez said. “Our last 10 games, we’re 7-3. We’ve won four in a row. We got a good chance to finish in the top three (in the WAC).”

“We’re going to have to win out and get help from other teams to have a chance (at playoffs),” Walker stated. “We’ll see what happens. You never know what can happen. There’s so much parody in this league. It’s crazy.”

Central Valley shot 29 percent (16 of 55) from the field, 14 percent (4 of 28) from 3-point range and 64 percent (18 of 28) from the free-throw line during the crosstown game.

Ceres High shot 22 percent (17 of 77) from the field, 17 percent (4 of 23) from 3-point range and 71 percent (12 of 17) from the foul line.

The Hawks and Bulldogs committed 17 and 22 turnovers, respectively.

“We didn’t shoot that well as a team,” Rodriguez said. “But we scored enough to win the game.”

“You have to take care of the ball, especially at this level,” Walker added. “That’s been our Achilles heel all year.”

Jace Mclennon led Central Valley with 27 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

He made 4 of 11 3-point attempts.

“He looked really relaxed out there,” Rodriguez said. “He was prepared. He’s our best playmaker.”

Hawk Andre Flores added 12 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Nicholas Dominguez had four points and one rebound.

Silas Rodriguez had two points, 10 rebounds and three assists. 

Michael Martinez had two points and two rebounds.

David Gutierrez had two points, one rebound and one steal.

Jaylan Tagadaya had two points and one rebound.

Albert Arevalo had two points.

Somil Bonsal led Ceres High with a career-high 19 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists.

“He had a great night,” Walker said. “He works on his shooting and ball handling every day. He’s a kid that didn’t touch the floor as a junior. He never whined. He was learning to play basketball.”

Bulldog teammate Manuel Ortega added 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

Treyvon Martinez had eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Tay Galton had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Anthony Estrada had three points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Central Valley and Ceres High enjoyed competing in front of a large crowd.

“We always expect a lot of fans when we play,” Rodriguez said. “It’s fun for the kids. You got to calm them down a little. Sometimes, they get overhyped.”

“There were a lot of people there,” Walker added. “I don’t think that bothered us too much.”

The Bulldogs and Hawks will battle for the second time this season on Feb. 14.

Ceres High will play host to Central Valley during the final week of WAC play.

“It (winning the first meeting) gives us an upper hand going into the next game,” Rodriguez said.

“We’ll be ready to play,” Walker added.