09-02-2025
Central Catholic, Mountain House battle for top spot in the VOL standings
At the end of the highly anticipated Valley Oak League matchup between No. 1 Central Catholic and No. 2 Mountain House, all Raiders' coach Mike Wilson could do was tip his cap.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Mustangs came out of the halftime break firing on all cylinders, starting the third quarter on an 11-3 run with three threes.
Central Catholic won the first matchup of the season in overtime, but that glimmer of hope was all Mountain House needed to spark a 26-10 third quarter Mustang advantage and, ultimately, a 74-48 win Friday night at the Mark Gallo Health and Fitness Center.
'In the second half, they went on their runs, and I don't think they ever stopped,' Wilson said. 'They were hot and they shot the ball well, so congratulations to them.'
The first half was a mirror of the first Raiders-Mustangs matchup in Mountain House. Neither team held a double-digit lead. Central Catholic jumped out to an early 15-9 advantage, prompting a Mountain House timeout, but by the end of the frame, the Raiders held just a 21-19 lead. Shamar Jones tied the game at 24 in the second quarter on a putback layup with 6 minutes, 29 seconds left. The Raiders outscored the Mustangs 14-10 for the rest of the quarter and went into the half on a last-second jump shot by Manjot Mann.
The second half was dominated by the Mustangs after they opened the third on a backbreaking run. Mountain House connected on eight threes in the second half alone. The Mustangs' offense was firing all cylinders but the defense was more impressive. They held the Raiders to 10 second-half points, all of which came in the third quarter. After outscoring Central Catholic by 16 in the third, the game ended with a 14-0 Mustangs fourth-quarter advantage.
Mann's play in the first half was a bright spot for the Raiders. The senior finished with a career-high 21 points, with 17 coming in the first two quarters. He also led the team in second-half scoring, with four points in the third.
'That's the best game he's had all year,' Wilson said. 'He was very aggressive, even on the boards, it wasn't just the shooting. Defensively, he was strong. The midrange around the top of the key, that was open for him.'
Though they will not finish with a perfect VOL record, Wilson says the Raiders understand their season is not over with one loss. In the final week of the regular season, they host rival Manteca and then travel to Sierra. In the postseason, they will likely have a first-round home game, as they are ranked No. 5 in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Division III standings.
'The message is it's not over,' Wilson said. 'They're not taking this as the end of the season.'
Modesto Christian 81, Tracy 53: The Crusaders led 39-34 at halftime but outscored Tracy 32-17 over the next quarter and a half to secure the blowout win and remain perfect in TCAL play. Modesto Christian earned its 20th overall win and takes on St. Mary's on Wednesday on the road.
Orestimba 66, Hughson 59 (2OT): The Warriors earned their third TVL win this season, beating Hughson on the road in a two-overtime thriller. Orestimba has won three of its last four contests to bounce back from a nine-game skid.
Ripon Christian 47, Escalon 44: The Knights trailed 23-16 at halftime of the low-scoring home game against Escalon, but outscored the Cougars 20-9 in the third quarter to regain the lead. They used that momentum to earn their ninth TVL win and 20th win overall. Amos Cady scored 17 points, Mason Tameling and Chase Bunnell added 10 apiece. The Knights beat Ripon on a last-second layup by Jake Vander Veen and have won seven straight heading into the regular season's final week.
Linden 60, Riverbank 43: The Bruins fell to 0-7 in MLL play with Friday night's loss. Linden is 5-3 in league play entering regular season's final week.
Bret Harte 81, Big Valley Christian 56: The Lions fell to 13-9 overall and 2-6 in league play with Friday night's loss. Big Valley Christian has lost three of its last four MLL games and looks to bounce back in the final week of the regular season against Summerville and Riverbank.
Patterson 46, Manteca 38: Patterson is 5-3 in its last eight games after Friday night's league win over Manteca. The Tigers bounced back from a 78-54 loss to the Buffaloes earlier this season to split the season series.
Beyer 70, Pacheco 34: The Patriots clinched at least a share of the WAC title Friday night, improving to 11-1 in league play and 23-3 overall. Next week's games against Ceres and Lathrop are the final contests before the postseason.
Davis 46, Ceres 38: Davis maintained its second-place standing in the WAC with a key late-regular season win. In their last eight games, the Spartans have lost just once and look to close out the regular season strong against Pacheco and Johansen. The Spartans are looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Oakdale 60, Sierra 43: Oakdale picked up its second VOL win, beating Sierra, which is still searching for its first league victory. The Mustangs are a game under .500 and have matchups against Patterson and Mountain House next week.
Turlock 73, Downey 53: The Bulldogs led 19-17 after a competitive first quarter but outscored the young Downey team to secure a 20-point CCAL win. Turlock is fourth in the league, with a 4-4 record.
Ripon 57, Sonora 41: Ripon bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to rival Ripon Christian with a road win over Sonora to move to 8-2 in league play. Ripon travels to Escalon and hosts Hilmar in the final two regular season games.
Enochs 60, Pitman 59: Enochs claimed sole possession of first place in the CCAL, moving to 7-1 against league opponents thanks to a pair of last-second, game-winning free throws. Enochs takes on Gregori and Downey in its final two league matchups.
Riverbank 69, Linden 4: Riverbank moved to 8-0 in the Mother Lode League with the blowout win over Linden. The Bruins travel to Bret Harte on Tuesday. Riverbank won a closely contested 58-55 in their first league matchup.
Escalon 64, Ripon Christian 21: Madi Babasa scored 27 points and Ari Velasco added 20 as the Cougars easily handled Ripon Christian at home Friday night. Escalon is now 15-10 overall, 7-2 in league and has a five-game win streak headed into the final week of the regular season.
Gregori 61, Modesto 20: Gregori stayed perfect in CCAL play Friday night with a dominant win over Modesto. The Jaguars won their last eight games. They host Enochs on Tuesday and travel to Hilmar on Thursday in the regular season finale.
Ripon 32, Sonora 25: The Ripon girls basketball team remained perfect in TVL play with Friday night's home win over Sonora. The Indians have won 11 straight games and finish out the regular season against Escalon and Hilmar.
Hilmar 0, Hughson 0: The Yellowjackets and Huskies tied in Friday's TVL showdown. Hilmar is 5-2-4 in league play and Hughson is 5-2-5.
Escalon 2, Ripon 0: Dominic Murillo and Jesse Gomez scored goals and Brody Abbott and Adrian Velazquez added one assist apiece as Escalon moved to 2-6-3 in TVL play on the season. Goalies Angel Perez and Preston Brehorst combined for seven saves and the shutout.
Ripon Christian 5, Orestimba 4: In a high-scoring affair, Drew Meester and Noah Debruyn scored twice and Ben Miller scored once for Ripon Christian. Alfredo Figueroa finished with a hat trick and Bryan Carmona added one score for Orestimba.
Hilmar 4, Hughson 0: Brisa Gonzales finished with a hat trick and Raylynn Mendoza finished with one goal and one assist in the Yellowjackets' seventh TVL win. Teygan Horstmeier, Lilly Brewer and Alyssa Colston also had assists. Kayden Elston tallied a save in the shutout. They are in third place with a 7-2-2 record and will play the regular season finale Monday at home against Ripon.
Ripon Christian 1, Orestimba 0: Alanna Blanco scored the game's only goal and Morgan Schenk had four saves and held the Warriors scoreless in the TVL win. Each of the Knights' last seven wins have been shutouts.
Ripon 3, Escalon 1: Ripon won its 13th straight game and improved to 11-0 against TVL opponents with three first-half goals. The Indians are an impressive 10-2 at home overall this season.
