James Burns: Central California Conference well represented at Arco once again

STOCKTON -- One by one, they straddled into the pressure-cooker, exchanging pleasantries as they passed, before shuffling off to their seats.

There was former Atwater boys basketball coach John Kane, who resigned from his post earlier in the day.

There was John Bliss, the high-performance oil in Buhach Colony's speedy attack.

And there was Keith Hunter and his Golden Valley staff.

They came to the University of the Pacific to cheer, to hang on every possession and watch some of the best prep basketball in the Central Valley.

But mostly they came to show their support of the Central California Conference.

Their conference.

Their brethren.

And it was some kind of show, too.

Tuesday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinals had it all: drama, suspense and a bit of comedy.

No. 4 Turlock survived the speed and raw athleticism of No. 5 Rodriguez, receiving a superstar performance from its superstar Travis Souza.

Souza had 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He was 18 of 19 from the free-throw line in a 78-68 victory.

Just like that, Turlock was through to Arco Arena -- the site of the Thursday's semifinal games -- and the Northern California Tournament.

Merced wasn't far behind.

The bench ignited a furious charge late in the first quarter and second-seeded Merced didn't stop running til it hit the locker room at halftime.

Scariest stat of the night: Merced made 21 field goals in the first half; No. 7 Grace Davis, on the other hand, attempted just 20 shots (making nine).

The final score: Merced 85, Davis 76.

And with two separate chants of "Arco! Arco!" hours apart, the CCC was climbing the next rung of the Division I bracket.

Next stop: Sacramento.

For the second straight year, the CCC, the southern most branch of the section, will have two teams in the semifinal round -- a feat not lost on those who paid witness to Tuesday's performances.

Merced will take on Sheldon at 4 p.m., while Turlock tangles with the winner of No. 1 Franklin-No. 9 Pleasant Grove at 5:30 p.m. That result wasn't available by press time.

"How about the CCC," Hunter said in a text message midway through the Merced game.

How about it, indeed.

Merced and Turlock spent the duration of the season near the top of the power ratings, but as the postseason neared many Central Valley publications began shining their attention on Sacramento-area schools like Franklin or fast-rising Sheldon, seeded No. 6.

On Tuesday, Merced and Turlock set out to win back the popular vote.

"We were having this conversation the other day at the coaches meeting, about how important it is to represent the league. We're playing for everybody. Turlock is in the same position," Knott said.

"Next year, when they (the section's power rating committee) sit down and do the league ratings, they have to take this into account. For the second straight year, the CCC has two of the final four teams.

"It's big for our area and our conference. We're honored to be there."

The trick now is reversing the results from a season ago.

Merced and Golden Valley -- then the top two teams in conference, like Merced and Turlock this season -- were run off the floor at Arco Arena. Merced lost to Folsom 67-50, while GV was stunned by Franklin 74-47.

Is Merced concerned?

If they are, they've got one heck of a poker face.

"It's so big. Arco, what else can you say?" senior guard Reggie Nelson said. "Every team dreams about this. You see kids crying after this game. It's why we practice.

"Most of these teams haven't been to Arco. They don't know about the lighting. They don't know about the game play. It's been motivation for us to get back there."

And for the second straight year, they'll have a familiar face joining them.

James Burns is managing editor/sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.