Teammates for the past two seasons, Ceres High girls basketball standouts Sovannary Carter and Lilly Staggs suited up for opposite teams at the 29th Annual Six County All-Star Senior Classic.

Carter and the Blue Team topped Staggs and the Red Team on April 25 at Modesto Junior College.

“It was so fun,” Carter said. “We know how each other play. We practiced and played together.”

“When we guarded each other, we knew each other’s moves,” Staggs added. “It was a fun experience.”

The All-Star Classic featured talent from Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Mariposa, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.

Carter teamed up with players from Amador, Atwater, East Union, Kimball, Lathrop, Lincoln, Livingston, Los Banos, Pitman, Sierra and Venture Academy.

Staggs teamed up with standouts from Atwater, Denair, Downey, East Union, El Capitan, Lincoln, Mountain House, Riverbank and Turlock.

Carter and Staggs contributed at forward and guard, respectively.

“My mindset was to compete, play at my level and win,” Staggs said. “The most enjoyable part was getting to know everyone.”

“It was really fun to play with people with higher skill levels,” Carter said. “As much as we were being competitive, we were also having fun.”

Carter and Staggs earned invitations to the Senior event after enjoying success-filled final seasons with the Bulldogs.

“I was really surprised,” Carter said. “I didn’t think I was as talented as some of the other girls. A lot of the girls are really skilled. To see I was on par with some of them was really surprising.”

“It felt good to get picked to play with other girls that have the same amount of talent,” Staggs stated.”

Carter and Staggs both earned first-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors during the regular season.

Carter averaged 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.7 assists per game

A four-year varsity player, Carter scored 1,021 points and grabbed 615 rebounds in 106 career games.

She garnered first-team accolades as a junior and second-team honors as a sophomore.

Carter filled an instrumental role the past three seasons, leading Ceres High to a 30-12 record against WAC competition. The Bulldogs went 3-11 in league play during Carter’s first year on the team.

“It’s been wonderful to watch her grow into one of the top players in the league,” Bulldogs’ head coach Megan McGill said. “I wasn’t surprised that she did well. She’s a phenomenal athlete and works had, so success is inevitable.”

Staggs averaged 16.1 points, 3.4 steals, 3.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

A second-year varsity player with the Bulldogs, Staggs scored 819 points in 53 career games.

She garnered first-team all-WAC honors as a junior.

Staggs attended and played varsity hoops at Gregori High School her sophomore and freshman years.

She piled up 1,255 career points in 106 games at the high-school level.

“Lilly is a great player,” McGill said. “She can shoot and score off the drive. She can see the floor really well. She can be a great defender and get steals that turn into offense.”

“I’m definitely going to miss the girls,” Carter stated. “It was a fun experience being on the court with them. They all meant something to me.”

“When I got back, it felt like I was home with my friends again,” said Staggs, who previously attended schools in Ceres before transferring to Gregori. “It felt right. Growing a bond with your teammates is really special and something you can hold on to forever.”

Carter and Staggs helped Ceres High re-establish its tradition of excellence in girls basketball.

The Bulldogs amassed a 17-12 overall record, placed third in the WAC with a 9-5 mark and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the third year in a row this past winter.

Ceres High won one of two games en route to a top eight finish in the Division-III playoff bracket for the second consecutive season.

The 11th-seeded Bulldogs upset the sixth-seeded Sierra Wolves 36-35 in the first round of the playoffs.

Ceres High avenged a 50-34 regular-season loss.

The Bulldogs put up a fight in losing 60-52 to the third-seeded Lathrop Spartans in the quarterfinals.

“The expectation was to give it our all and do our best to win,” Staggs said. “Our team chemistry and communication helped the team.”

“Coach McGill pushed us to be our best selves,” Carter added. “She taught us the importance of having fun and locking in when you need to be serious.”

Carter will focus on academics at UC Merced. She was accepted into the San Joaquin Valley PRIME+ Program.

She’ll earn her baccalaureate degree at UC Merced and Doctor of Medicine through UCSF.

Staggs will continue her education and hoops career at San Joaquin Delta College.

“It’s sad leaving your friends,” Staggs said. “But I enjoyed every second of hanging out and being on the team with them.”

“I’ve played a sport every season of high school the last four years,” Staggs said. “It’s going to be a big hole to fill in my life.”