Though no local basketball squads made deep playoff runs, nor did their players get awarded with special postseason honors by the Central California Athletic League, a handful of student-athletes were still recognized by the conference for their efforts.
Thirteen hoopers between the Turlock and Pitman high school programs were featured on this year’s All-CCAL list.
The basketball season headlines were dominated by the renewed rivalry between the boys teams of the two crosstown rivals, particularly over the final two weeks of the regular season as they battled for the final two Sac-Joaquin Section Division I postseason berths. Each team’s most prolific scorers — Turlock’s Ross Widemon and Dutch Lawrence and Pitman’s Avery Sanchez and Cole Martin — were named to the All-CCAL First Team.
Widemon and Sanchez were top scorers on their respective teams.
Widemon played in 15 games following his transfer from Modesto Christian in the offseason, and scored in double figures each outing. The senior scored over 20 points in 11 instances as he led the Bulldogs to a 6-4 record against conference opponents, including the pair of tiebreaking wins over the Pride. His best performance came in his debut for the Bulldogs, when he exploded for 36 points in a 73-34 win over Buhach Colony on Jan. 6.
Sanchez, Pitman’s all-time leading scorer, added a team-high 566 to his name in his senior campaign, helped by 29 games with 10 or more points. Ten times he scored over 20 points. His season-high was a 35-point performance in a 63-49 win over San Leandro on Dec. 13.
Named to the Second Team was Pitman’s Abhiraj Cheema, while teammate Kaulin Davoud, as well as Turlock’s Izaak Saenz were honorable mentions.
On the girls’ side, six players made the cut despite each team falling short of the postseason.
The Pride’s Aiyana Hosep and the Bulldogs’ Deja Cox were First Team honorees. Hosep poured in 128 points and snagged 50 rebounds over the course of her senior season. Cox, another senior, scored 99 points and grabbed 110 boards.
On the Second Team were Pitman’s Elexi Pulido and Turlock’s Isabella Moran. Ashli Mendoza of the Pride and Aleya Salazar Martella of the Bulldogs were honorable mentions.
