Atwater upsets Merced to create tie atop CCC boys basketball standings
Update:
Merced High and Atwater are tied atop the Central California Conference boys basketball standings.
Atwater went into Clemons Court on Wednesday night and pulled off the upset, defeating the Bears 57-44 to leave the two teams tied atop the CCC at 8-1 with one game left to play.
Merced’s offense started off cold, allowing Atwater to take a 30-15 lead at halftime. The Falcons never looked back.
The CCC championship will be decided Friday night.
Merced has an easier matchup, playing at home against 2-7 Golden Valley. Atwater will be at home against third-place Buhach Colony. Both games tip off at 7:15 p.m.
Merced defeated Atwater 65-45 on Jan. 23.
Here’s an updated look at the CCC boys standings:
- Merced 8-1
- Atwater 8-1
- Buhach Colony 6-3
- El Capitan 2-7
- Golden Valley 2-7
- Los Banos 1-8
Original story:
The Central California Conference high school boys basketball championship will come down to one game.
The Merced Bears (8-0 CCC) will take on the Atwater Falcons (7-1) on Wednesday night at Clemons Court at 7:15 with the league crown on the line.
If Merced wins, it’ll pretty much wrap up the outright championship. If the Bears lose, they’ll likely have to share the title with Atwater.
Here’s why:
- If Merced wins and goes to 9-0, it has an easy final league game against 1-7 Golden Valley.
- If the Bears lose to Atwater, the two will be tied for first place at 8-1. Merced would need Buhach Colony (5-3) to upset Atwater in the regular season finale to avoid sharing the title.
The senior-laden Bears (19-7 overall) are led by top scorers Diego Aguilar (14.9 points a game) and Jordan Thomas (11.7). Atwater (17-9 overall) is led by AJ Banks Jr. (10 points a game).
Merced defeated Atwater 64-45 in their previous meeting Jan. 23.
Win or lose, the Bears are headed to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs. They’re ranked eighth in MaxPreps’ D-II rankings.
Atwater is playing for its playoff life. The Falcons are on the bubble of advancing; they’re ranked 17th in D-II.
The section will announce playoff brackets Saturday. The Modesto Bee’s Quinton Hamilton and The Sacramento Bee’s Joe Davidson will join the section’s Will DeBoard for a selection show at 1 p.m. at the section website, cifsjs.org.
Here’s an updated look at the CCC boys standings:
- Merced 8-0
- Atwater 7-1
- Buhach Colony 5-3
- El Capitan 2-6
- Los Banos 1-7
- Golden Valley 1-7
This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 12:53 PM.
