With point guard Robert Preciado and post player Ramon Coral leading the way, Central Valley High School's freshman boys basketball team prevailed 48-37 while battling visiting crosstown-rival Ceres High last Wednesday.
"It's a great way to end the first half of the season," Coral said. "A lot of guys stepped up this game. We wanted to win by more."
Preciado netted a game-high 17 points for the Hawks, who moved to 4-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. Coral tallied 15 points. Inayat Sahota buried three treys and totaled nine points. Nimrat Chahal collected three points. Joseph Montalvo and Julio Pena both scored two points.
Caleb McDade, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound post player, tallied a team-high 12 points for the Bulldogs (2-4). Floor general Juan Anderson made three treys and finished with 11 points. Joshneil Sandhu had nine points on three treys. Blake Tobler and Sahil Soni added three and two points, respectively.
"I thought we were going to be able to edge them out," said McDade, who was forced to sit out the second quarter because of foul trouble. "We tried to play harder. We just couldn't put it together."
Said Coral: "We had a good week of practice."
Central Valley held a slim 25-23 lead at halftime. The two teams knocked down a combined 10 3-pointers, including five apiece. Sahota and Sandhu both scored nine points on three 3-pointers. Anderson hit two from long-range. Preciado and Chahal each made one.
Central Valley outscored Ceres High 23-14 after intermission, including 13-7 in the final period. The Hawks relied on both their inside and outside games. Preciado and Coral accounted for all of Central Valley's second-half points. Robert and Ramon tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. Preciado's layup off a steal broke a 27-all tie with 3:04 to play in the third period.
Ahead 35-31, the Hawks saw their lead cut to two when McDade buried a close-range shot with 5:28 left in regulation. Central Valley responded with a game-sealing 13-4 run.
"We swung the ball a lot more," Coral said. "It really caught them off guard."
The Hawks have earned bragging rights in both basketball and football during the 2011-12 school year. Central Valley defeated Ceres High 21-12 on the gridiron in November.
"It was hard to focus at school today," Ramon said. "I was thinking about the game. I played against him (McDade) in elementary and junior high. It's great to have competition like that."
Said Caleb: "It's fun to play against people you know. I think it will be closer next time."
"It's a great way to end the first half of the season," Coral said. "A lot of guys stepped up this game. We wanted to win by more."
Preciado netted a game-high 17 points for the Hawks, who moved to 4-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. Coral tallied 15 points. Inayat Sahota buried three treys and totaled nine points. Nimrat Chahal collected three points. Joseph Montalvo and Julio Pena both scored two points.
Caleb McDade, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound post player, tallied a team-high 12 points for the Bulldogs (2-4). Floor general Juan Anderson made three treys and finished with 11 points. Joshneil Sandhu had nine points on three treys. Blake Tobler and Sahil Soni added three and two points, respectively.
"I thought we were going to be able to edge them out," said McDade, who was forced to sit out the second quarter because of foul trouble. "We tried to play harder. We just couldn't put it together."
Said Coral: "We had a good week of practice."
Central Valley held a slim 25-23 lead at halftime. The two teams knocked down a combined 10 3-pointers, including five apiece. Sahota and Sandhu both scored nine points on three 3-pointers. Anderson hit two from long-range. Preciado and Chahal each made one.
Central Valley outscored Ceres High 23-14 after intermission, including 13-7 in the final period. The Hawks relied on both their inside and outside games. Preciado and Coral accounted for all of Central Valley's second-half points. Robert and Ramon tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. Preciado's layup off a steal broke a 27-all tie with 3:04 to play in the third period.
Ahead 35-31, the Hawks saw their lead cut to two when McDade buried a close-range shot with 5:28 left in regulation. Central Valley responded with a game-sealing 13-4 run.
"We swung the ball a lot more," Coral said. "It really caught them off guard."
The Hawks have earned bragging rights in both basketball and football during the 2011-12 school year. Central Valley defeated Ceres High 21-12 on the gridiron in November.
"It was hard to focus at school today," Ramon said. "I was thinking about the game. I played against him (McDade) in elementary and junior high. It's great to have competition like that."
Said Caleb: "It's fun to play against people you know. I think it will be closer next time."
