Prep boys’ basketball: Modesto Christian is too much for Sheldon in Division-I final
The start of the week was grand for the Sheldon Huskies with road wins over higher-seeded teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff scramble.
The end of the week, in the capper of a section tournament with a lot of twists, turns, dramatic finishes and upset moments? Not so good. In facing a formidable and familiar foe in Modesto Christian, the Huskies were undone by poor shooting and a taller team. In other words, they lost to a better outfit, and there’s no shame in that.
Modesto Christian beat Sheldon 52-42 to win the Division I championship at Golden 1 Center and now seeks a way to clear out some space in the overflowing trophy case on its Salida campus.
This was the program’s fifth D-I championship and ongoing section record 20th overall, spanning various divisions. The section leader for D-I blue banners is Sheldon with seven.
The Huskies (22-10) couldn’t make it eight because they couldn’t hit near enough shots, missing jumpers and inside shots that curled around the rim and went out, shooting 28 percent. They made 5 of 8 field goals in the first quarter, then cooled from there, including a 2-for-17 effort in the third, and before long the Crusaders (26-5) were on their way to halting Sheldon’s 12-game winning streak and denying their old rivals a shot at a championship threepeat.
“Rough game, couldn’t make shots,” Sheldon coach Joey Rollings said. “It wasn’t our A-game.”
And this, according to the coach: “They’re a better team.”
Jamari Phillips, Modesto Chrsitian’s talented 6-foot-3 national recruit sophomore guard, had a game-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers. B.J. Davis had 12 for the Crusaders, who expect to be in the CIF Northern California Open Division tournament that starts Wednesday. Sheldon also may be in the Open as it has won recent Open Division crowns; otherwise the Huskies will be in the D-I bracket.
But the Huskies won’t win from here without regaining their old form. Sheldon beat Lincoln in Stockton in a quarterfinal and then snapped top-seeded Inderkum’s 24-game winning streak with a stirring overtime victory in a semifinal. Inderkum beat Modesto Christian in a regular-season finale.
“The biggest frustration tonight was we didn’t play well,” Sheldon guard Troy Chrighton said. “We played well against Inderkum, and Modesto Christian is really good. All we can do is learn from this and get better.”
No players reached double-figures for Sheldon. Donovan Morgan and Rashaud Bradley each scored nine, and Devon Haynes and Jaden Woodard had eight each.
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 3:03 AM.