Ceres High's effort never wavered despite its struggles.

Tired of losing, the Bulldogs ended an 18-game skid with a 59-23 win against Pacheco in junior-varsity boys basketball on Friday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"That's the best we've played this year," Ceres High head coach Abel Maestas said. "They were doing things they haven't done in other games. They were unselfish with the ball and played really good defense. They had fun."

The Bulldogs improved to 2-19 on the year and 1-6 in the Western Athletic Conference.

Jonathan Garcia and Xavier Mendoza both scored a career-high 13 points for Ceres High.

Harman Bansal added eight points.

Ulises Diaz and Jacob Martinez both contributed seven points.

Cole Silva and Louie Thomas tallied three points each.

Jas Dosanjh, Damien Reyes and Manav Walla all chipped in two points.

The Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the foul line.

Ceres High buried eight 3-pointers, including three by Garcia, two by Bansal and Mendoza and one by Thomas.

"Jonathan's capable of scoring 20 points a game," Maestas said.

The Bulldogs built a 26-16 lead in the opening half.

Ceres High outscored Pacheco 33-7 during the second half, including 23-5 in the third period.

"We haven't done well all year," Maestas said. "We came into this game with a lot of confidence. We played with a lot of energy. We shared the ball more. A lot of guys scored."

Ceres High finally broke into the WAC win column.

"The kids are ecstatic," Maestas said. "I'm really happy. We haven't won since November. You get one win and it's like the Super Bowl."