The high school boys' basketball race for a league championship is shaping up.
Central Valley Christian, Dinuba and Redwood are all in the driver's seat and atop their respective league standings as of press time.
CVC (13-11, 4-0) is the team to beat in the Tri-County Conference-Sequoia division.
Dinuba (21-3, 6-0) is aiming to win its first West Yosemite League championship in school history.
And Redwood (17-8, 6-0) can clinch at least a share of the East Yosemite League title on Jan. 30 if the Rangers beat Porterville at home. The Rangers defeated Porterville 50-46 on Jan. 11.
Here's a look at each of the league favorites.
CVC cruises under new coach Josh Bergman
CVC is under the leadership of new head coach Josh Bergman.
Bergman has helped the Cavaliers get on a roll in the New Year.
CVC put on a six-game winning streak in January with wins over Kingsburg, Washington Union, Kennedy-Delano, Exeter, Reedley and Immanuel.
During that streak, the Cavaliers scored 74 points or more three times while surpassing the 80-point total twice in victories over Reedley and Immanuel.
CVC has one of the best-scoring freshmen in the section with A.J. Johnson. He racked up a season-high 37 points on Dec. 21 in a 75-65 victory against Tulare Union.
Johnson is averaging 23.3 points per game.
The Cavaliers have also received standout performances this season from Caden Lloyd (15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game), Justin Stroud (14.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.8 assists per game) and Erick Estrella (8.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Stroud is just one of two seniors on the team. He scored the 1,000th point of his career earlier this season.
Stroud had one of his best outings of the season in a 58-51 victory versus Redwood, exploding for 30 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block.
CVC is averaging nearly 66 points per game.
Dinuba dominates WYL play
Dinuba has big expectations this season — to win WYL and Central Section Division II championships.
The Emperors are on the right path. They have won nine in a row, including six straight league games.
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Dinuba has been dominant in WYL action this season with four of their six conference victories coming by double-digit points. The Emperors have outscored their league foes a combined 383-288 while averaging nearly 64 points per game.
Under longtime head coach Jeff Schofield, Dinuba posted its sixth straight 20-plus win season.
Is that win total a goal for Dinuba?
"You know what?" Schofield said. "I think it was years back. I mean, our focus now, is we want to win a section championship. That’s our goal. We know everything along our way, we appreciate that, too, and we're trying to get better. That’s what we're aiming for. If the wins come along the way, that's a good thing."
Dinuba has three solid players this season with senior Javer Torres, junior Josiah Ochoa and senior Brice Watley.
Torres is one of Tulare County's most experienced players. He eclipsed 1,000 career points in early January and is coming off a double-double performance after scoring 23 points with 11 boards in a 57-34 rout of Hanford.
Ochoa is a 3-point specialist who can catch fire at any moment. One of his best performances came in a 77-47 demolition of Enochs in December where he drained seven triples.
"Josiah, he does really well for us," Schofield said. "He gets guarded differently every night. Sometimes, teams make a big focus to really try to take him away, and when that happens, he's very unselfish and it helps open up a lot of other players, you know. But when he gets room, he's pretty deadly with that 3-point shot for sure."
At 6-foot-4, Watley gives the Emperors size inside the paint. He had a double-double in a 72-42 win over Mission Oak, dropping 20 points with 11 rebounds and three assists.
"He's been playing very well for us on both ends of the floor," Schofield said. "Very solid."
Redwood rolls in EYL competition
Redwood has hit its stride.
Since Dec. 16, the Rangers have won 12 of their past 13 games and have reeled off nine straight victories, including six consecutive in EYL competition.
Their only loss during that stretch came to eventual 72nd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Invitational champion North Bakersfield in a 53-47 defeat in late December.
Redwood has been carried by its defense this season — headlined by 6-foot-10 junior forward Cole Gilcrest. He broke out for 27 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks in a 56-46 win over Lemoore in December and has carried that momentum deep into the season.
In a key 62-52 victory against El Diamante on Jan. 25, Gilcrest had 12 points with eight blocks. Two nights prior, he netted 15 points and registered five blocks as Redwood sealed a 50-35 decision over Mt. Whitney in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers 24-10.
Gilcrest was also named an all-tournament selection at this season's Wilhelmsen Invitational. He is the grandson of former College of the Sequoias coach Tom Gilcrest.
With Gilcrest patrolling the paint, Redwood has limited its EYL foes to 43.6 points per game. The Rangers have won five of their six EYL games by double-digit points.
What's it like to have a player who is 6-foot-10?
"First of all as a coach, it's a blessing," Redwood's Jason Black said. "I often wonder what it would be like to go against him, and I'm happy I'm not. But I mean, his presence is good. He blocks shots. He grabs rebounds. People don't realize that he gets rebounds with two hands with guys hanging all over him. He really rim protects and allows us to get up on man-to-man defense with our length and our speed."
Gilcrest is part of a starting lineup that also features Evan Galley, Elijah Casas, Zander Jensen and Isaac Esquivel. Cristian Carlos has played a contributing role this season, too.
Jensen may only be a freshman but he recognized early on how much of a luxury it is to have a player of Gilcrest's size and talent on the team.
"It's super nice to have a 6-10, 6-11 kid waiting for you in the paint," Jensen said. "If you get beat, he blocks shots. He gets rebounds and he scores, so that's really all you can ask for."
Farmersville, Mission Oak, Monache are in the hunt for league girls' basketball championships
Mission Oak is enjoying another strong season under longtime head coach Dave Caetano.
The Hawks (17-8, 5-1) are the reigning WYL champions and are tied atop the conference standings with Hanford (11-12, 5-1).
Mission Oak fell at Hanford 61-54 on Jan. 18 but will host the Bullpups at Richard Torrez Jr. Gymnasium in a key WYL contest on Feb. 7.
The Hawks have been led this season by Isabella Zepeda, Sierra Calantas, Braelyn Serpa, Phoenix Ryan and Aiyana Murray.
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Seniors, Zepeda and Calantas anchor Mission Oak. Both lead the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game.
In the EYL, Monache (22-2, 6-0) is ahead of the pack with El Diamante (14-8, 5-1) in second place in the league's standings.
The defending EYL champion Marauders have one of the top defenses in the section, and have surrendered just 25.5 points per game in league action.
This season, the Marauders have a balanced scoring attack, spearheaded by Shelley Andrade (11.6 points per game), Milly Rojas (11.2 ppg), Kyah Bartlett (10.3 ppg), London Haynes (10 ppg) and Alisha Verdejo (9 ppg).
Farmersville (16-6, 4-0) has a chance to win back-to-back East Sequoia League-Redwood championships.
The Aztecs have rolled in conference play, averaging 64.2 points per game while holding league teams to an average of 28 per game.
Farmersville has one of the section's best scorers in sophom*ore guard Jazmaine Stewart. In stats reported to MaxPreps, she is averaging 21.8 points per game, which is ranked as the third-most in the section.
Stewart pairs with junior guard Janessa Garza to give the Aztecs a solid one-two punch. Garza is averaging 15.2 points per game.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: CVC, Dinuba, Redwood basketball roll to undefeated league records
