Ceres High’s girls basketball team enjoyed a major turnaround during the 2023-24 school year.
The Bulldogs tripled their win total from the previous season, climbed from sixth to second in the Western Athletic Conference standings and secured their first playoff berth since 2012-13.
Ceres High will look to build on last year’s success this winter.
The Bulldogs won 11 of their 14 preseason games.
“This team has the potential and is on track to win more games than we did last year,” said Megan McGill, third-year leader of Ceres High. “We have all the pieces to win league this year. Because of last year’s success, teams aren’t overlooking us anymore, but our girls are stepping up to the challenge.”
The Bulldogs return five players from a season ago, including Sovannary Carter (Jr.), Hailey Tsurui (Sr.), Mariah Renteria (Jr.), Arrayah Stallworth (Jr.) and Savannah Leifried (So.).
Ceres High has six newcomers: Bri Tsurui (Sr.), Makaela Brown (Jr.), Persia Rochell (Jr.), Lilly Staggs (Jr.), Nehemiah Valenzuela (Jr.) and Presley Vierra (Jr.).
Staggs transferred from Gregori High School. She averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 steals, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Jaguars as a sophomore.
Stallworth, Carter and Hailey Tsurui earned WAC honors during the 2023-24 season.
Stallworth and Carter both garnered second-team all-league recognition.
Stallworth, a center, averaged 9.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Carter, a power forward, averaged 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
“They (Stallworth and Carter) contributed a lot as sophomores,” McGill said. “I’m excited to see what they do as juniors.”
Tsurui, a shooting guard, was an honorable-mention selection.
She averaged 4.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Leifried averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals at the varsity level as a freshman.
Ceres High lost five players to graduation, including Marissa Renteria, Makenna Azavedo, Valeria Arroyo, Gaby Rebello and Mireya Estrada.
Renteria started.
The standout guard earned first-team all-WAC honors recognition for the second year in a row.
Renteria averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 1.7 assists per game.
She poured in a career-high 32 points, including 23 in the third quarter, in Ceres High’s 65-55 upset win of first-place Mountain House.
Carter has been named team captain for this year’s squad.
“Sovannary Carter exemplifies positive leadership,” McGill said. “She’s consistently at practice, knows all the plays and helps her teammates learn. She always gives 100 percent effort and is our loudest cheerleader when she’s on the bench.”
Ceres High started preparing for the 2024-25 season this past June.
Bulldog players developed chemistry as they played a total of 20 games together while competing in the Modesto Junior College Summer League.
Ceres High’s roster featured 16 players, including Stallworth, Carter, Leifried, Rochell, Staggs, Brown, Vierra, Bri Tsurui and Hailey Tsurui.
“The girls played really well,” McGill said. “The first half (of the season), everyone was gelling well together. The second half, we had several girls go to the UOP (Camp) so we had less numbers. The last day, we played three games with six players, so that was rough, but everyone was able to improve over the summer. I’m excited to have everyone together for the (upcoming) season.”
A year removed from finishing in sixth place in the WAC standings with a 3-11 mark, the 2023-24 Bulldogs won 11 of 14 games while taking second in league play.
The Bulldogs amassed a 21-8 overall record and won one of two games in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II playoffs.
Fifteenth-seeded Ceres High pulled away for a 45-27 win over 18th-seeded Cordova Lancers in a Play-In Game at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
Ceres High lost 75-32 to second-seeded Vanden in the first round of the playoffs.
The Vikings snapped the Bulldogs’ eight-game unbeaten streak.
Ceres High will compete in the new-look WAC this winter.
The conference features eight teams: Ceres High, Central Valley, Livingston, Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop and Pacheco.
Los Banos and Mountain House relocated to the WAC and Valley Oak League, respectively.
Livingston previously competed in the Trans Valley League.
Ceres High will face crosstown-rival Central Valley twice during conference play.
Results could decide a league champion and playoff qualifiers.
“There’s always some excitement when CV is involved, but the goal has not changed,” McGill said. “Last year, our goal was to win the WAC championship and we fell short, earning second place. This year, the competition may be new, but our focus is the same.”
The Bulldogs have improved each season under McGill’s guidance.
McGill coached girls basketball at the lower-level for three seasons before earning a promotion to the varsity.
She’s brought consistency and stability to a program that had seven different head coaches in 10 years prior to her hiring.
“We’re definitely headed in the right direction,” McGill said.
