Ceres High School's varsity boys basketball team won a pair of conference games by a combined seven points last week.

"The league is pretty evenly-matched," Bulldogs head coach Julio Marquez said.

Ceres High improved to 8-7 on the year and 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference standings after outlasting Los Banos, 52-46, Friday night at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

Puneet Sahi exploded for 20 points.
Nick Burt tallied 13 points.

Haaydn Martinez and Austin Stiles contributed six and five points, respectively.

Joshneil Sandhu and Ramon Coral both collected three points.

Brad Bussard had two points.

The Bulldogs battled back from a 25-20 halftime deficit.

Ceres High outscored Los Banos 17-6 in the third quarter.

"The kids responded with intensity and stepped it up on the offensive end," Marquez said. "We moved the ball more and crashed the boards. Everybody found ways to contribute."

Sahi converted all eight of his foul shots, including six in the second half.

"Puneet's making better decisions," Marquez said. "His rebounding and defense have gotten better. He's getting the hang of the offense. He's always been a good shooter."

Burt's layup at the buzzer off a pass from Sahi propelled Ceres High past El Capitan, 52-51, on Wednesday in Merced.

"We looked for the best possible shot," Marquez said. "They were able to execute. It was amazing."

Burt and Sahi both scored 17 points versus the Gauchos.

Coral, Martinez, Sandhu and Stiles had seven, six, three and two points, respectively.

Ceres High will play host to Patterson today at 7:30 p.m.