Central Valley’s boys basketball team defended its home court with a 65-47 victory over crosstown-rival Ceres High on Friday.

“It was pretty loud in there (the gym),” Hawks’ leader Mike Rodriguez said. “Obviously, you want to win the game for bragging rights. The bigger focus is to string together some wins and put ourselves in a position to sneak into the playoffs.”

“CV earned the win,” Bulldogs’ first-year head coach Darae Taylor said. “They played a solid game. They’re a tough matchup because they can score from all over.”

Central Valley improved to 8-13 overall and climbed to fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference (3-4).

Ceres High dropped to 8-13 overall and sixth place in the WAC standings (2-5).

“We’ll see them again in a couple weeks,” Taylor said. “We’re definitely going to be more prepared next game.”

Ten of Central Valley’s 15 players contributed on offense.

“The guys were sharing the ball,” Rodriguez said. 

Jace Mclennon led the Hawks with 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“When he plays like that, we’re tough to beat,” Rodriguez said. “He could have had more points. He was in foul trouble most of the first half.”

“He’s a really talented kid,” Taylor added.

Parteek Sohal had nine points, two rebounds and one assist.

David Gutierrez had eight points, three rebounds and one assist.

Jaylan Tagadaya had seven points and three rebounds.

Michael Martinez had six points and four rebounds.

Silas Rodriguez had four points, four rebounds and two assists.

Caden Mendonca had four points, three steals and one rebound.

Sebastian Gutierrez had two points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block.

Xavier Manor had two points, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block.

Steve Duran had two points.

The Hawks shot 71 percent (17 of 24) from the free-throw line and 25 percent (8 of 32) from 3-point range.

Cashton Almeida led the Bulldogs with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Tayden Galton added 10 points.

Ceres High trailed 26-18 at halftime. The Bulldogs shot 23 percent (5 of 22) from the field and 8 percent (1 of 12) from 3-point range.

“The biggest different was shot making,” Taylor said. “They made shots when it mattered the most. We couldn’t make anything.”

Momentum swayed in Central Valley’s favor in the third quarter as it held a 29-13 scoring advantage. Mclennon accounted for 12 of the Hawks’ points.

Central Valley forced 21 turnovers during the contest.

“The game became a little too big for us,” Taylor said. “We turned the ball over a crazy amount. Their press rattled us. We couldn’t find our footing.”

“We tried to make it fast-paced and a little chaotic,” coach Rodriguez added. “We tried to wear them out with our depth. We turned it into a track meet.”

Central Valley edged Ceres High 54-50 and 58-52 during its return to the Western Athletic Conference last season. The Hawks moved from the Central California Conference to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.

“I could tell the morning of the game there was a little more excitement,” Mike Rodriguez said while talking about the crosstown rivalry. “You have to manage your energy early in the game so you play under control.”

“They’re a well-coached team,” Taylor added.