El Capitan, Atwater girls set for CCC first-place showdown; Merced boys rolling
There have been just two games played in the Central California Conference basketball season, but the races to claim the boys and girls titles are already taking shape.
The El Capitan High girls basketball team opened the CCC season with an impressive 22-point win over Merced last Tuesday behind a 19-point effort from junior Rayonn Maxie. The Gauchos then crushed Buhach Colony 70-24 on Thursday to improve to 2-0 in the CCC.
Atwater is also 2-0 after dismantling Los Banos 77-25 on Thursday, then defeating pesky Golden Valley on Thursday 50-34.
Those results set up a big showdown for first place next week as Atwater heads to El Capitan on Tuesday night at 7:15. The teams shared the CCC title last season.
Here are the current CCC girls standings:
- Atwater 2-0
- El Capitan 2-0
- Golden Valley 1-1
- Merced 1-1
- Los Banos 0-2
- Buhach Colony 0-2
Merced boys off to strong start
The Merced High boys basketball team opened the CCC season with two dominant wins, defeating El Capitan 60-32 behind Diego Flores’ six 3-pointers and cruising past Los Banos 65-38 on Friday night.
The Bears next take on Buhach Colony, which is also 2-0 in the CCC with wins over Golden Valley, 51-35, and El Capitan, 68-45.
That key game will be played Wednesday night at Merced High’s Clemons Court at 7:15.
Atwater also is undefeated in the CCC at 2-0, having beaten Los Banos 72-40 Wednesday and rallying past Golden Valley 62-50 Friday night. The Falcons trailed by 10 points at halftime before outscoring the Cougars 36-14 in the second half.
Here are the current CCC boys standings:
- Merced 2-0
- Buhach Colony 2-0
- Atwater 2-0
- Golden Valley 0-2
- El Capitan 0-2
- Los Banos 0-2
Stone Ridge Christian boys continue to dominate
The Stone Ridge Christian boys basketball team continues its domination of the Southern League, improving to 6-0 with a 64-50 win over Denair on Tuesday. Seniors Daijon O’Neil (27 points) and Owen Nelson (14) had a big game for Stone Ridge Christian. The Knights, who went unbeaten in the SL last season, play host to Delhi (3-0 SL) on Wednesday.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 6:30 AM.
