Modesto Christian basketball coming together in hunt for third straight D-I section title

Modesto Christian was awarded the top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top division for the first time since returning to Division I in 2015-16 but still the sentiment around the section is that this year, they can be beaten.

The Crusaders are not widely regarded as the top team in Northern California and with a lot of new players in key roles, at times they have looked vulnerable. The Crusaders dropped an early-season matchup to Berkeley High and ended the regular season dropping two of their final three games, falling to Oakland High and Weston Ranch.

“We’re not the number one team in NorCal like we have been the last couple years. We have some bumps and bruises from the regular season,” head coach Brice Fantazia acknowledged.

But with the playoffs here, they believe they are continuing to get better.

Jeremiah Bernard has been around for the last two seasons of Northern California dominance. While there has been an adjustment adding three new starters in Gavin Sykes (Capital Christian transfer), Myles Jones (Folsom transfer) and Marcus Washington (Valley Christian transfer), he feels like their commitment to continuing their improvement can take them far.

“As soon as we brought it together, we started to get some chemistry going,” Bernard said. “At first it was kind of shaky, but we’re starting to mesh and I think we can make it far in the playoffs.”

“We’re always going to continue to get better. We’re always learning where each other are gonna be. I think we’re starting to figure everything out at the right time.”

Even with all of the history and success Modesto Christian basketball has seen, there is still one thing the Crusaders have never done: three-peat as Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions.

“There’s not a lot of stuff (Modesto Christian) has never done, so it’s always cool to (possibly) do something for the first time in school history,” Fantazia said when asked about the opportunity to win a third straight D-I title.

The first step to a three-peat was one in the right direction for the Modesto Christian basketball team Wednesday night against No. 16 Cosumnes Oaks.

The Crusaders opened with six threes in the first quarter and led by 17 after the first eight minutes. They added another 24 third quarter points en route to a dominant 83-56 win. Sykes scored a game-high 22 points and made 5 threes. Washington was a force inside with 18 points and Jones and Bernard added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

“Everyone was hitting shots, everyone was doing what we’ve been practicing,” Bernard said of the win. “It was good to have a good win after a tough loss last week, and it was good to get our confidence back.”

Said Fantazia: “This is the year everyone said, ‘We’ve got to get Modesto Christian this year with them losing all the seniors last year.’ We’ve tried to tell them you take it personal and I think today we came out and you saw a different level of energy and focus.”

As the top seed, the Crusaders have home court advantage throughout the first three rounds and they are hoping to feed off the energy of the Anderson Gymnasium fans.

“Even on campus today, you can just tell there was a little bit of a different vibe, almost like during football season where there’s a big football game,” Fantazia said. ”Everyone was engaged, elementary kids were talking about it. So it’s that time of the year and our guys played like it today.”

Modesto Christian hosts No. 8 Franklin of Elk Grove Friday at 7 p.m.

More boys basketball

Monterey Trail 66, Pitman 57: Pitman beat Edison in its play-in game, 71-47, earning a spot in the first round where they nearly upset the No. 2 seed. The Pride trailed by just five points at halftime and in the third, took a 42-41 lead. Pitman never led again in the contest as their attempt at a historic win fell just short. Junior Avery Sanchez finished with a 21-point, 10-rebound double double and senior Justin Anderson added 16 points.

Del Oro 81, Patterson 66: The No. 13 Tigers gave up 22 second quarter points while scoring just nine as they fell behind by 25 points at halftime of the Division II first round matchup. David Nnaji scored 30 points for the Tigers. The fourth seed, Del Oro, faces No. 5 St. Mary’s Friday.

Central Catholic 44, Will C. Wood 38: In the D-III first round, Central Catholic and Wood found themselves locked in a defensive battle. The Raiders scored eight points in the first quarter and nine in the second, but held the Wildcats to just five third quarter points and nine fourth quarter points to secure the win. The Raiders are the No. 4 team in D-III and host fifth seeded Twelve Bridges Friday at 7 p.m.

West Park 71, Beyer 34: After winning Monday’s D-III play-in game, Beyer traveled to Roseville Wednesday for a Division III matchup against the No. 2 Panthers. The offense could not get going, as Beyer was held to its lowest scoring output all season.

Girls basketball

St. Francis 50, Patterson 36: The Tigers’ dream season came to an end Wednesday at the hands of St. Francis. The No. 7 Tigers hosted the No. 10 Troubadours but couldn’t find their offensive groove. They finish with a 26-3 record.

Vanden 75, Ceres 32: A play-in win earned the Bulldogs a matchup against the defending D-III section champions Wednesday. The Vikings jumped out to an early lead and never let up. Ceres finished with 21 wins this season, the most wins in one year since 2005-06. The team will return two of its three leading scorers next season.

Girls soccer

Franklin 1 (5), Gregori 1 (4) F/SO: Gregori in the Division I playoffs went to a shootout for the second straight postseason match. After winning Saturday, the Jaguars fell after a shootout against Franklin in Elk Grove Wednesday. Gregori held a 1-0 halftime lead, but the Wildcats answered in the second frame. Franklin netted five goals to Gregori’s four in the shootout.

Rocklin 2, Pitman 0: After winning at home in the Division-II first round Saturday, Pitman fell on the road to No. 3 Rocklin in the Division II playoffs. The No. 6 Pride allowed a goal in each half in the loss.

Oakdale 1, Ponderosa 0: The No. 2 Mustangs continued their playoff homestand in the D-III postseason with a one-goal win over seven seed Ponderosa. A goal in the 57th minute ended up being the game winner as the Mustangs advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. Oakdale takes on Manteca for the third match against the Valley Oak League foe this season.

Ripon 2, Lincoln 1: After shutting out Orestimba in Saturday’s first round match, No. 6 Ripon upset No. 3 Lincoln to advance to the Division IV section semifinals. Ripon took a 1-0 lead into halftime and added another score in the second half to seal the win. After No. 7 Placer upset Twelve Bridges, Ripon hosts the section semis Friday at 6 p.m.

Hilmar 5, Sonora 3: The Yellowjackets scored six goals in the first round and continued the offensive output Wednesday, finding the back of the net five more times in an upset over the Division V No. 1 seed. The Yellowjackets advance to the section finals Saturday at 4 p.m. at Cosumnes River College. They play No. 6 Argonaut.

Ripon Christian 2, Bradshaw Christian 1: The top ranked team in Division VI, Ripon Christian advanced to the section championship with a one-goal win over Bradshaw Christian. The Knights play No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian Saturday at noon at Cosumnes River College.