Gurraj Purewal scored in a myriad of ways during the Ceres High School junior-varsity boys basketball team's 58-38 drubbing of crosstown-rival Central Valley on Thursday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
Purewal made 14 of 23 shots from the field and converted six of seven foul shots while totaling a game-high 34 points.
"Coach (Lance Hunter) has a lot of confidence in me," Purewal said. "I try to perform to the best of my ability."
Ceres High improved to 14-9 overall and 7-4 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Central Valley dropped to 4-7 in the WAC standings.
"We've done pretty well this year," Purewal said. "We have enough talent to compete with any team in our league."
Bulldog Adrian Magdaleno tallied six points against the Hawks.
Donnavin Koeurn and Austin Schmidt both netted five points.
Vincent Guerrero and Jesus Mejia added four and three points, respectively.
Monte Wallace had one point.
Hawk Andres Rojo finished with a team-high 10 points.
Estevan Barragan and Oscar Lopez totaled seven points apiece.
Miguel Jimenez and Gabriel Story contributed five points each.
Aaron Vander Wal added four points.
Ceres High seized control by outscoring Central Valley 33-15 in the opening half. Purewal paced the Bulldogs with 20 points, including 11 in the first period and nine in the second quarter.
"I used post moves I've been working on throughout the season," he said.
Ceres High has had to compete without the services of Inder Sandhu for its past three games.
Sandhu, who traveled to India to attend a family wedding, and Purewal are Ceres High's top scorers.
"I've gained a lot more confidence," said Gurraj, who's had to shoulder the offensive load since Sandhu left the country.
Ceres High compiled a 1-1 record against Central Valley in WAC play.
The Hawks edged the visiting Bulldogs 51-45 on Jan. 22.
"This time, we came out more prepared," Purewal said. "We were more patient on offense. We were communicating on defense. We played with more intensity. We just tried to treat them like any other opponent."
