Central Valley’s boys basketball team made the short trip to Turlock High for a Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I Playoff Play-In Game.
Faced with a win-or-go-home scenario, the 18th-seeded Hawks challenged the 15th-seeded Bulldogs in the first quarter before suffering a 69-44 loss on Feb. 18.
“The kids played hard,” Central Valley leader Mike Rodriguez said. “We just didn’t shoot the ball well. We weren’t aggressive attacking the basket. We settled for too many jump shots. We got killed on the boards.”
The Hawks enjoyed one of their most successful seasons to date by compiling a 16-13 overall record and finishing in third place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 10-4 mark.
Turlock, which posted a 14-15 overall record and placed third in the Central California Athletic League with a 6-4 mark, closed out the season with an 81-33 loss to second-seeded Inderkum in the opening round of the playoffs.
“The program as a whole had a great year,” Rodriguez stated. “It’s the third most wins for a Central Valley varsity boys basketball team. We had a lot of experience coming back. Playing tough teams in the Central California Conference prepared us for the WAC.”
Central Valley’s Andre Flores scored a team-high 14 points against Turlock.
Jace Mclennon added 13 points.
Emmanuel Carranza, Blake Silva and David Gutierrez tallied five, four and three points, respectively.
Albert Arevalo and Silas Rodriguez chipped in with two points apiece.
Michael Martinez had one point.
The Hawks trailed by just one point, 11-10, at the end of the first quarter.
Turlock outscored Central Valley 58-34 the rest of the game.
“They’re definitely beatable. We were in the game. We went cold in the second quarter. We struggled scoring the ball.”
The Hawks will lose five players to graduation, including Arevalo, Carranza, Flores, Jellmar Mata and Nicholas Dominguez.
Carranza, Flores and Mata were all three-year varsity contributors.
Gutierrez, Martinez, Mclennon, Rodriguez, Silva, Alexander Aguilar, Jaylan Tagadaya, Jaycob Casias and Caden Mendonca could return to the team next season.
“I want to thank the seniors for everything they did for our program,” Mike Rodriguez said. “For the young guys moving forward, they got a little taste of playoffs. It should motivate them this offseason to work hard. We should be in the mix for a playoff berth next year.”
Central Valley experienced a major turnaround this winter by securing its first playoff berth since the 2016-17 school year.
The Hawks faced different competition as they relocated from the Central California Conference to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.
Central Valley amassed a 5-23 overall record and tied for last place with Buhach Colony during its final season in the CCC (1-11).
“We set out to try to make the playoffs,” coach Rodriguez said. “We accomplished that.”
