Bulldogs dominate

Doug Cornfoot wasn’t concerned with a 6-8 record entering Friday night’s Central California Conference opener against Atwater.

That’s because the Turlock High boys basketball coach assembled the toughest schedule during his tenure.

Cornfoot wanted to make sure his team was ready for conference play, and he got the answer he wanted midway through the first quarter.

The Bulldogs closed the first half with a 25-2 run and carried a 21-point lead into halftime on their way to a 51-31 win over Atwater at the Nest.

Turlock turned a 7-5 deficit with three minutes left in the first quarter into a 30-9 lead at the half.

“That’s the best defense we’ve played this whole season,” Cornfoot said. “We played team defense, we moved, we switched screens, we talked. Travis (Cook) controlled the boards in the first half, and that allowed our guards to get out and run.”

Cook dominated the paint without scoring a point. He grabbed 14 rebounds and started Turlock’s transition attack with outlet passes.

Demsen McFaddin paced the Bulldogs with 17 points and Devan Bains added 11.

It wasn’t hard to figure out how the game tipped in Turlock’s favor.

Atwater (7-8) made just 1 of 13 shots from behind the three-point line in the first half and just 1 of 19 in the game. Atwater made just 4 of 23 from everywhere in the first half for a dismal 17 percent.

“I told our guys, ‘If you look at it, Turlock was shooting twos and attacking the basket,’” Atwater coach Jason Boesch said. “We were settling for threes and getting just one shot.”

The Falcons showed some life in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 34-23. However, the Bulldogs opened up the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 44-23 lead.

Brody Patterson led Atwater with 15 points.

Merced 60, Buhach Colony 51 in Merced – Ulonzo Gilliam scored 11 points to pace the Bears, who led by only one point after the third quarter. Tyler Davis helped Merced put the game away with all six of his points in the fourth quarter.

Golden Valley 63, Pitman 54 in Merced – Jermaine Ewing made four three-pointers and scored a career-high 19 points as the Cougars opened CCC play with a win. Cyrus Allen and Lee McNeill added 13 points for GV.

El Capitan 60, Livingston 51 in Merced – Isaiah Knott scored 18 points as the Gauchos won their first Western Athletic Conference game. Harman Singh led Livingston (2-1 WAC) with 19 points.

This story was originally published January 10, 2015 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Bulldogs dominate."