CCC boys basketball tips off Wednesday. Who’s the favorite to win the title?
How competitive will the race for the Central California Conference boys basketball championship be this season?
Consider, every CCC team has a winning overall record heading into league play, which tips off Wednesday night.
It won’t take long to figure out just how tough it will be — opening night features some quality matchups and big-name players.
Here’s a look at the three matchups:
Golden Valley at Buhach Colony
Buhach Colony, which has the best nonleague record of any CCC team at 14-4, will play host to Golden Valley (11-6) at 7:15 p.m.
Buhach Colony, which has won 10 consecutive games heading into the CCC opener, is led by Carter Chapman, a senior guard who has surpassed over 1,200 career points. Chapman is averaging 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.
Golden Valley, last year’s CCC co-champion, features Izavian Goode, a 6-foot-3 senior point guard who last season was the league’s Most Valuable Player. The Cougars enter the matchup having won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss during that stretch to 15-3 Oakdale.
Merced at El Capitan
Merced (11-7), the defending CCC co-champion, visits El Capitan (10-7) at 7:15 p.m. in a battle of teams expected to vie for a league championship.
Merced is talented and experienced, featuring seven seniors. The Bears have a balanced offense with Diego Aguilar, last season’s CCC offensive player of the year, the leading scorer at 14.4 points a game.
El Capitan, coming off an appearance in last season’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game, figures to be tough to beat. Senior A.J. Jones, averaging 14.6 points per game, is one of the league’s top players.
Los Banos at Atwater
Atwater (10-7) plays host to Los Banos (9-6) at 7:15 p.m.
The Falcons have won four CCC championships over the past five years, and are hoping to add another one in 2026. The Falcons are led by seniors Sylas Austin and A.J. Banks, who are looking to take their success on the football field to the basketball court.
Los Banos showed it can keep up with the best in the CCC, losing two close games, by three and 10 points, to Buhach Colony in tournament play.
Western Athletic Conference
Livingston is 7-9 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Wolves are led by Adrian Aguirre, who is ranked first in scoring in the section at 27.4 points a game, including 44-point nights against Orestimba and Ceres. Pacheco is 5-8 overall and 0-3 in league play. Lathrop (10-6, 3-0), Beyer (9-6, 2-0) and Johansen (11-5, 2-0) appear to be the main contenders for the WAC title.
Southern League
Stone Ridge Christian went undefeated in the Southern League last season and returns nine players from the squad that won the section Division VI championship. That makes the Knights the clear favorites. Stone Ridge Christian, led by senior guard Daijon O’Neil and junior forward Jordan Cortez, are 10-3 overall and 3-0 in league play.
