Ceres High’s boys basketball team tightened its grip of second place in the Western Athletic Conference last week.
Central Valley suffered a pair of losses in Central California Conference play.
Ceres High’s girls hoops squad moved into a tie for second in the WAC standings.
Ceres High’s boys improved to 15-8 overall and 8-2 in the league standings after winning two of three games.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position,” head coach T.J. Walker Jr. said. “We’re just trying to grow as a program. We’re just trying to get as many wins as we can.”
Ceres High posted a 61-31 victory over Pacheco on Jan. 26 in Los Banos.
“I applaud my guys for taking care of business,” Walker said. “. They did what they were supposed to do.”
Freshman Carey Mastin led the Bulldogs with 17 points, six assists, three steals and one rebound.
Manny Ortega had 15 points, six rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.
AJ Brown had 10 points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.
Ceres High rallied for a 57-50 win over third-place Beyer on Jan. 24 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs earned a season sweep of the Patriots for the first time under Walker’s guidance.
Ceres High edged Beyer 57-50 in overtime earlier this season.
“This is the perfect time of the year to be playing solid basketball,” Walker said.
Ortega led the Bulldogs with 25 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Mastin had nine points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
AJ Brown had nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
Ceres High outscored Beyer 36-34 after intermission, including 17-8 in the momentum-swaying third quarter.
“We hit some shots and got some stops,” Walker said. “It was great to see.”
Visiting Ceres High lost 66-59 to third-place Lathrop on Jan. 22.
Ortega led the Bulldogs with 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Mastin had seven points, 10 assists, three steals and one rebound.
Brown had eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Ceres High is inching closer to securing a playoff berth for the first time under Walker’s guidance.
“Everybody is playing together,” Walker said. “They trust each other. They believe in each other. They hold each other accountable every day. There’s something definitely different about this team.”
Hawk lose twice
Central Valley’s boys challenged Patterson and struggled against Merced in league play this past week.
The undermanned Hawks trailed from start to finish in falling 77-36 at Merced on Friday.
“Stylistically, they’re a tough matchup for us,” Central Valley head coach Mike Rodriguez said. “They press all game. We have a tendency to turn the ball over quite a bit.”
The Hawks had to change their game plan due to a lack of depth.
Sahibjot Deal, Gabriel Abracosa, Albert Arevalo and Jace McLennon were sidelined for various reasons.
Deal had to sit out the contest after being assessed a flagrant foul against Patterson.
Abracosa, Arevalo and McClennon were slowed by injuries.
“We only had seven players so that didn’t help,” Rodriguez said. “We like to play fast. With a short bench, you can’t push the tempo as much. We played zone defense to conserve some energy.”
Bryan Rodriguez led the Hawks with 14 points, 14 rebounds and one assist.
Andre Flores had eight points, 11 rebounds and two assists.
Emmanuel Carranza had eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal.
Central Valley challenged Patterson before losing 61-43 on Jan. 22 in Ceres.
“The kids played hard,” Rodriguez said. “We kept the game close in the first half.”
Bryan Rodriguez led the Hawks with eight points and six rebounds.
Deal had eight points, four rebounds and one steal.
Carranza had six points, six rebounds and one assist.
Robbie Singh had six points, two assists, one steal and one block.
Sixth-place Central Valley dropped to 5-19 overall and 1-7 in the CCC standings.
GIRLS HOOPS
Ceres High’s girls reeled off three straight wins.
The Bulldogs improved to 16-7 overall and 7-3 in the WAC with a 44-36 victory over the Pacheco Panthers on Jan. 25 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
Ceres High won just six games a year ago.
“It’s incredible,” head coach Megan McGill said while talking about the Bulldogs’ major turnaround. We’re starting four sophomores. This is just the floor of where we can go.”
Ceres High’s Sovannary Carter tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and one steal versus Pacheco.
She missed the Bulldogs’ previous four games with an ankle injury.
“She just makes things happen on offense,” McGill said. “She’s a presence in the paint. Her and Arrayah (Stallworth) play really well off each other.”
Stallworth chipped in with 15 rebounds, seven blocks, two assists and two steals.
Renteria added 13 points, six rebounds, six steals, one assist and one block.
Host Ceres High pulled away for a 53-35 win against Beyer on Jan. 23.
“It was competitive for a while,” McGill said.
Renteria had 15 points, three rebounds and one steal.
Stallworth had 11 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
Carter had 11 points, six rebounds and one assist.
Ceres High exacted payback by beating visiting Lathrop 40-33 on Jan. 22.
The Spartans won the first meeting, 45-40.
“We kept our composure better,” said McGill.
Stallworth had nine points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and one assist.
Carter had 12 points, three rebounds, one block and one steal.
Renteria had eight points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and one block.
Ceres High boosted its playoffs hopes last week.
The Bulldogs are trying to secure their first postseason berth under second-year head coach McGill’s guidance.
