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Dawgs sweep MVP honors for basketball
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Ceres High School made the announcement on its web site.

John Dhillon and Bryce Ford were voted league MVPs in varsity boys and girls basketball, respectively, on Feb. 26.

Dhillon helped propel Ceres High's boys to a first-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference standings (8-2). The senior point guard averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game for the Bulldogs, who hadn't won a league title in 17 years.

John was a role player as a junior.

"It proves if you're a hard worker and smart you can do a lot of great things," Ceres High head coach Brian de la Porte said.

Ford averaged 18.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for Ceres High's girls squad (2-8).

The 5-foot-10 sophomore led the Bulldogs in just about every statistical category. She ranked first in league in scoring and in the top three in rebounding. Bryce shot 44 percent from the field.

"It was obvious she was the best player," Nunes said. "Her overall play was phenomenal. She's a person everyone tried to guard but couldn't stop. She kept us in games."

Ceres High's programs also swept Coach of the Year honors.

Nunes shared the award with Central Valley's Jesse Padilla and Los Banos' Danny Crosby.

"I was surprised," said Nunes, who retired following an impressive 18-year stint with the Bulldogs. "I didn't expect that."

"It's nice to be recognized by your peers but it's not that big of a deal because it's all about the kids winning that league title," de la Porte said.

The Bulldogs won the WAC championship outright thanks in large part to the play of Dhillon, Edgar Lopez, Binder Atwal and Chris Hilgen.

Lopez, a senior guard, was named to the WAC first team. He averaged 19.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

"He was just as valuable as John," de la Porte said. "He became a better player when he started trusting his teammates. That helped his game a lot."

Atwal, a junior guard, earned second-team all-conference honors. He averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

"He was a good third option for us," de la Porte said. "Maybe he can be the MVP next year."

Hilgen, a senior post player, received honorable-mention accolades.

He averaged 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Chris increased his production during the Bulldogs' final four contests. He posted averages of nine points and eight rebounds.

"He played great for us down the stretch," de la Porte said. "He did just enough to keep teams honest. He really stepped up his game."

Lili Jaimes, a key member of Ceres High's varsity girls basketball team, received second-team all-league honors. The senior guard was a standout on defense for the 2-8 Bulldogs.

"She ranks up there with the best of them as far as attitude and effort," Nunes said. "There's no quit in that kid. Very few players scored their averages against us because of Lili."