Ceres High School's freshman boys basketball team dropped its final preseason game, 46-38, to Hughson on Dec. 30 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
The loss snapped the Bulldogs' three-game winning streak.
Ceres High bounced back with a 45-39 win over host Livingston during the opening week of Western Athletic Conference on Friday.
"At no time did I think we were going to lose," Bulldogs head coach Tracy Bull said. "We were in control of the game except on the boards."
Ceres High improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in WAC play.
"We've been putting a lot of emphasis on our defense," Bull said. "We've been working hard."
Cristian Garcia scored a team-high 15 points versus the Wolves.
Inder Sandhu tallied 14 points.
Adrian Magdaleno and Gurraj Purewal chipped in with six and five points, respectively.
Monte Wallace and Austin Schmidt each had two points.
Donnavin Koeurn added one point.
"We did enough to win," Bull said. "I give Livingston credit. They hit two threes late to make it closer than it was."
Dawgs win title
Ceres High compiled a 3-0 record on its way to a first-place finish at the Dec. 26-27 Orestimba Winter Classic.
Garcia was voted tournament MVP.
Sandhu earned all-tourney honors.
The Bulldogs beat Orestima's A-team 64-53 in the opening round of the round-robin tournament on Dec. 26.
Purewal led Ceres High with 24 points.
Garcia and Sandhu contributed 20 and 11 points, respectively.
Magdaleno totaled five points.
Wallace and Koeurn both scored two points.
Ceres High topped Linden 55-49 in the second round on Dec. 27.
Sandu totaled 19 points.
Garcia had 18 points.
Koeurn scored 10 points.
Purewal finished with four points.
Schmidt and Magdaleno netted two points each.
Ceres High defeated Orestimba's B-team 52-37 in the third round on Dec. 27.
Garcia poured in 24 points.
Sandhu added 11 points.
Koeurn and Vincent Guerrero had three points apiece.
Schmidt and Magdaleno both contributed two points.
"Overall, it's good for the team morale," Bull said. "Everybody got to play. That's important at the freshman level."
Ceres High will play at El Capitan today and host Los Banos on Friday. Both games will get underway at 6 p.m.
