Basketball roundup: CC girls win MST Gallo Tourney, MC and Vanden in Holiday Hoop final
Non-league basketball schedules across the Stanislaus District are finishing as 2023 wraps up. Local boys and girls teams participated in tournaments across Northern California this week, with many championship games Friday and Saturday night.
Central Catholic started the MST Gallo Tournament this year. The Raiders welcomed Downey, Ripon Christian, Central Valley, Sonora, Millennium, Liberty Ranch and Bear Creek for a three-day event. Gregori is one of the many local schools competing in the girls tournament at Tracy High this week. Escalon and Patterson continued to roll this season, remaining perfect as the non-league schedule winds down.
Modesto Christian’s Holiday Hoop Classic is always the draw of some of the top boys programs in Northern California. This season, Downey and Turlock joined the Crusaders as the lone Stanislaus District participants. The Crusaders will play in the tournament championship for the fourth straight season. Three players scored in double figures to lead the charge against Campolindo in the semifinals. Modesto Christian faces Vanden, which was powered by a 41-point semifinal performance from Montana commit Tyler Thompson.
Modesto Christian will have its full complement of players for Saturday night’s Holiday Hoop championship as Myles Jones, Gavin Sykes, Ry Atkins and Marcus Washington will all be eligible after serving the Sac-Joaquin Section-mandated transfer sit-out period.
Boys Basketball
Roseville 82, Patterson 80: Patterson dropped a close contest to the Roseville Tournament hosts Friday morning at 9 a.m. The Tigers went 1-2 in the championship side of the bracket during the three-day tournament.
Downey 80, Immanuel 66: Sumer Panu led the way for the Knights. He scored a game high 22 points and combined with Jayden Coehlo (21) and Reuben Lewis (19) for 62 of Downey’s 80 points. The Knights play Oakland Tech at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Edison 60, Turlock 47: The Bulldogs dropped their second game of the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic, falling to Edison on Friday afternoon. Turlock trailed 32-24 at halftime but scored just nine points and allowed 19 as Edison broke the game open in the third quarter. Turlock plays Venture Academy on the tournament’s final day.
Ceres 72, Central Valley 47: Ceres bested its crosstown rival for the second time this season, beating Central Valley in the Livingston Tournament. Both teams begin league play next week. Ceres takes on WAC opponent Lathrop while Central Valley plays Patterson in its CCC opener.
Lincoln-San Francisco 65, Central Catholic 64: The Raiders led 20-17 after the first quarter on day three of the Bambauer Classic at Marin Catholic and by halftime the score was tied. The Raiders outscored Lincoln in the third quarter to take a 52-41 lead but the Mustangs would not go away. Lincoln took a 62-60 lead late in the game but James McGee tied it for the Raiders. A three-pointer with three seconds left put Lincoln ahead for good.
Beyer 64, Buhach Colony 45: The Patriots were crowned champions of the fourth annual Livingston Winter Holiday Classic. Beyer won at the varsity and JV levels. A pair of senior guards received recognition as Marcus Padney was named tournament MVP and Prince Major earned all-tournament honors.
Lowell 55, Enochs 42: The Eagles dropped their second straight game in the Livermore Tournament. They will look to get back in the win column with their league opener at Turlock High on Jan. 10.
Escalon 52, Oakdale 46: Escalon beat host Oakdale to earn the Consolation Championship at the Oakdale Rotary Tournament. Ethan Garza was named to the all-tournament team.
Modesto Christian 56, Campolindo 47: In a rematch of the 2021-22 NorCal championship, Modesto Christian jumped to a 31-21 first-half lead. Campolindo cut the Crusaders’ lead to three with 6 minutes, 6 seconds in the third, but Modesto Christian found its groove to advance to its fourth straight Holiday Hoop Classic championship. Rashod Cotton scored 23 points for MC while Jeremiah Bernard and Alhassan Idrissu added 10 apiece. The Crusaders play Saturday night against Vanden.
Orestimba 58, Pacheco 26: Orestimba won its 11th game this season, beating Pacheco in its final non-league game of the season. The Warriors host Denair to open Southern League play Jan. 3.
Big Valley Christian 79, Waterford 48: The Lions moved to 15-1 this season with a win in the Waterford Winter Classic on Friday. Big Valley will play unbeaten St. Vincent de Paul in the tournament championship Saturday at 5 p.m.
Gregori 56, Ripon Christian 50: The Jaguars and Knights matched up for the third time this season Friday night as they competed for the championship at the Oakdale Rotary Tournament. Gregori earned its first win this season over Ripon Christian in a tightly contested game. Gregori took a lead in the second quarter and never surrendered it. Raj Sandhu scored 16 points for Gregori and Jayson Powers and Dru Shafer added 12 apiece. Jake Vander Veen (19 points), Luke Crivello (14) and Jace Beidleman (10) all reached double figures for the Knights.
Ripon 69, Ben Holt College Prep Academy 47: Ripon High senior Landon Gillespie was named Ben Holt Tournament MVP after leading the team to the championship Friday. Jach Schoolland earned all-tournament honors for his play during the three-day event. Gillespie finished the championship game with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Logan Lefebvre and Ty Herrin also scored in double figures, notching 12 and 11 points, respectively.
More from Holiday Hoops
FRIDAY RESULTS
Oakland Tech 67, San Leandro 58
Weston Ranch 71, Venture Academy 62
Bullard 69, Pleasant Valley 50
Clovis East 55, Manteca 46
Vanden 71, Mountain House 54
SATURDAY MATCHUPS
San Leandro vs Immanuel at 9 a.m.
Oakland Tech vs Downey at 10:30 a.m.
Turlock vs Venture Academy at noon
Pleasant Valley vs Manteca at 1:30 p.m.
Fifth Place: Bullard vs Clovis East at 3 p.m.
Consolation Championship: Edison vs Weston Ranch at 4:30 p.m.
Third Place: Campolindo vs Mountain House at 6 p.m.
Championship: Modesto Christian vs Vanden at 7:45 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Escalon 42, Sacramento Adventist 34: Point guard Sammy Lang’s 25 points led the Cougars to a championship in the Ben Holt Holiday Classic. She was named tournament MVP. Escalon remained perfect on the season, winning all 14 of their non-league contests thus far. They play Ceres Jan. 2 before they begin TVL play Jan. 4 against Riverbank.
Central Catholic 36, Ripon Christian 24: Samantha Nichols scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added seven steals as the Raiders claimed the championship in the first MST Gallo Tournament. Allie Abbate and Jaz Roberts added eight points apiece. For the Knights, Reagan Vander Hoek scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds and leading scorer Maddie Yonker scored seven points and added six rebounds in one half of action. Nichols and Yonker were their respective teams’ representatives on the all-tournament team.
East Union 49, Enochs 6: The Eagles fell to the Lancers in the Tracy High Tournament in one of their final non-league games. Enochs takes on Orestimba on Jan. 6 before opening CCAL play with a pair of home contests against Turlock and Modesto on Jan. 9 and 11, respectively.
Millennium 33, Central Valley 31: The Hawks could not earn their second win this season on the final day of the MST Gallo Tournament at Central Catholic. They finish non-league play against Downey on Jan. 4 before kicking off CCC play.
Patterson 48, Argonaut 37: Senior Sienna Musson led the way for the Tigers in the Pitman Holiday Classic with 10 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Taylor Mason added nine points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. The Tigers remain one of two Stanislaus District teams still undefeated, along with Escalon. They finish 16-0 in non-league games and take on Atwater in their CCC opener.
Sierra 50, Ripon 42: Ripon fell to Sierra on the third day of the Tracy Tournament. The teams were tied at 18 apiece at the half, but a 17-12 third quarter helped Sierra extend a lead Ripon could not overcome.
Lodi 45, Pitman 23: Lodi held Pitman scoreless in the second quarter, taking a 26-10 halftime lead that the Pride could not overcome. Pitman finishes its non-league schedule Jan. 2 at home against Oakdale before hosting Modesto Jan. 9 in its CCAL opener.
Gregori 55, Tokay 43: Gregori moved to 2-1 at the Tracy Tournament with a win over Tokay on Friday. Lilly Staggs and Kaylee Hartfield had standout games for the Jaguars, who play Pacheco on the tournament’s final day Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
