Modesto Sports

The walls of the tiny Modesto Christian High gym probably still are reverberating from the moment Thursday night just after Isaiah Burse's 3-pointer banked home to beat Arcata. Here's the sobering realization about that scene: the next time Burse suits up to play in front of the home school fans, he'll be wearing pads and a Fresno State football uniform.

Local game times for March 13, 2010.

Robb Spencer's role players were asked to fill new roles Thursday, after Modesto Christian's starting lineup took another hit. With 5-10 Valerie Moore already on crutches, MC played the NorCal quarterfinal without 5-11 Taryn Garza. The flu and a sore knee sidelined her.

Modesto Christian's Isaiah Burse hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead Modesto Christian to a wild 66-63 overtime victory over Arcata in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division IV NorCal basketball playoffs. Click on the headline to see Richard T. Estrada's play-by-play, and check back at modbee.com for the full story.

Alexus Tillman said she felt it, so she pulled up 23 feet from the basket and let it rip ... then listened to the crowd explode as it went in. "Sometimes you get the feeling that you can't miss," said Tillman, Modesto Christian High's junior point guard. "I had a surge of confidence and I felt we needed a lift right then."

Short of winning the lottery and donating the proceeds to build a new gym, there now officially is nothing Isaiah Burse can do to enhance his athletic legacy at Modesto Christian High School. It's only been three months since Burse quarterbacked the Crusaders to the state small school bowl championship in Carson, ample imprint for most athletes.

The Modesto Christian girls take on Justin Siena in a CIF State NorCal quarterfinal basketball game. Click on the headline to take part in our in-game chat.

It should be business as usual tonight for Anthony Pratt, Modesto Christian's slender 6-foot-5 center: He will be giving up inches and pounds to his opponent. Pratt and the Crusaders are accustomed to playing taller teams, using their quickness and attacking offense to overcome the size disadvantage.

DIVISION 4 BOYS — No. 11 Arcata (26-5) at No. 3 Modesto Christian (23-8), 7:30 p.m.

Stanislaus District high school basketball coaches are encouraged to return their nomination forms as soon as possible for the annual Six-County Basketball All-Star Games.

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Oakdale junior guard Cassandra Clark has been selected the MVP of the Valley Oak League.

Ripon Christian appeared to have everything going for it. The Knights were on their own court, playing in front of a friendly crowd and had 6-foot-8 Tyler Goslinga in the middle. None of that mattered to Liberty Christian, which was coming off a four-hour bus trip from Chico. On top of that, the Patriots were facing a 16-point deficit and the game had started only minutes earlier.

In time, Tyrone Bowie and his Merced teammates will look back on this basketball season fondly. They'll remember winning two thrillers against Turlock, winning a fourth straight Central California Conference championship and playing at Arco Arena. However, on Tuesday night the pain was too much.

Isaiah Burse wore a scowl into the locker room Tuesday night, clearly disappointed with the effort he saw in the first half. Sure, Modesto Christian led by six points at halftime, but the Crusaders were being confounded by a slender freshman from tiny Orland.

After Turlock High found out on Sunday that its first-round regional playoff game would be against Castlemont, the Bulldogs had exactly one practice session to prepare a game plan based on whatever scouting report they could muster. So Turlock worked Monday on its zone defenses, expecting the usual from tall, athletic teams — an attack based on penetration and power.

That the wrestling season has finished qualifies as a misnomer. More correct, the off-season connects one season to the next. And the upcoming months sometime become more important than the regular season, especially for up-and-coming wrestlers eager to make progress.

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