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CHS boys have nowhere to go but up
CHS drops 10 of its first 11 non-league games
xaviermendoza.tiff
Xavier Mendoza attempts a long-range shot against Kimball in the opening-round of the Frank Godinez Tournament. The Bulldogs have posted a 1-5 record in tourney play this season. - photo by DALE BUTLER/The Courier

Ceres High School's varsity boys basketball team struggled to a last-place finish at the 35th Ceres Holiday Tournament.

The Bulldogs compiled an 0-3 record at the four-team event, staged Dec. 17-19, at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

Ceres High dropped to 1-10 on the year.

"We've gotten a lot better," Bulldogs senior standout Austin Stiles said. "We just need to connect more on offense."

Chavez defeated Ceres High 78-48 on Dec. 17.

Sophomore Cristian Garcia scored a team-high 15 points in defeat.

Nick Jones, Haaydn Martinez, Ismael Ontiveros, Blane Abeyta and Jordan McGrath added 10, eight, seven, five and three points, respectively.

McNair routed Ceres High 71-47 on Dec. 18.

Garcia tallied a team-high 17 points.

Stiles and McGrath chipped in with eight points apiece.

Jones and Martinez totaled five points each.

Ontiveros added four points.

Elliot Christian edged Ceres High 62-57 on Dec. 19.

Martinez paced the Bulldogs with 13 points.

Stiles, Garcia and Ontiveros finished with 12, 11 and eight points, respectively.

Jones and McGrath both contributed six points.

Abeyta had one point.

Stiles missed the first game following toe surgery.

"I toughed it out and played the next two," he said. "It was sore."

Garcia was selected to the all-tournament team. He averaged 14.3 points per game.

Losers of its first five games, Ceres High broke into the win column by compiling a 1-2 record at Turlock's Dec. 10-12 Frank Godinez Tournament.

Ceres High edged Denair 43-41 in the semifinal round of the consolation bracket on Dec. 11.

Stiles and Garcia both scored a team-high 11 points against the Coyotes.

The Bulldogs erased a 10-point deficit on the strength of a 14-4 run during the second half.

Ceres High lost to Kimball and West by a combined 14 points.

Kimball defeated Ceres High 70-62 in overtime during their first-round matchup on Dec. 10.

West posted a 57-51 win over Ceres High on Dec. 12.

Ceres High lost 82-73 in overtime to Enochs, 53-43 to Stagg, 65-60 in OT to Tracy and 74-67 to Buhach Colony prior to competing in the Godinez tourney.

"We need to limit the turnovers," Bulldogs head coach Julio Marquez said when asked what his team needed to get better at.