Merced Union High School District

The El Capitan High girls basketball team has picked up where it left off last year as the Gauchos are off to a 15-2 start this season. With 10 returning players, including five three-year varsity contributors, El Capitan entered this season with high expectations after winning 25 games, sharing the Central California Conference championship with Atwater last year and advancing to the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

 

The Gauchos will enter CCC play this year ranked as one of the top teams in the section at No. 7 overall and No. 3 in DII, according to MaxPreps. El Capitan is outscoring its opponents by 25 points per game on average under first-year coach Adam Her, who takes over for Tyler Dietz, who moved over to the boys program this season.

 

Having a roster full of experienced players has made the coaching transition smooth for Her, who has worked as an assistant in the program before being promoted to head coach this season. “It makes it a lot easier for me, especially since it’s my first year doing it,” Her said. “They know the system. They know what I want to do already. We're all kind of on the same page, so they understand my basketball and how I want to play. So they're a really good extension of what I want to do on the court.”

 

Mady Dietz, Avnoor Bains, Jordynn Middleton, Keira Mendoza and Molly Skinner are all midway through their third varsity season. Dietz became the first player in program history to score 1,000 career points for the Gauchos. Bains and Middleston can contribute on both ends of the floor. Add sophomore Alexis Valenzuela and junior Rayonn Maxie, who are two of the top scorers on the team, and the Gauchos have a very deep roster.

 

“I think we have really great chemistry, and we're all so talented, and it's been really cool to see us work together and make the extra pass,” Dietz said. “It's been amazing.” The Gauchos have won three tournaments this season and their only two losses came to Christian Brothers, who is the No. 1 DII team ranked in the Sac-Joaquin Section and Buchanan, which is ranked No. 11 in the state by MaxPreps.

 

“We went through our struggles as a group with most of these girls and then last year we were able to win a co-championship with Atwater,” Her said. This year those five three-year players are seniors. We're hoping we can make a lot of noise in league and win another one.”

Here’s a look at the rest of the rest of the MUHSD teams with conference play set to start soon:

 

Atwater (8-8) – The Falcons had a magical season last year winning a fifth consecutive CCC championship and winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship. Atwater returns some of the key pieces from that team in seniors Saige Harcksen, Riley Leonardo and Natalia Melgoza. 

 

Buhach Colony (4-11) – The Thunder feature one of the top scoring guards in the District in sophomore Talijay Craft, who is averaging 18 points per game. Buhach Colony has a young nucleus that includes six other sophomores, including Anya Gleling, Summer Mahil, Dayanna Lara and Karaline Moreno. 

 

Golden Valley (8-9) – The Cougars have improved this season,already surpassing last year’s seven-win total. Senior Zoe Gonzales is a threat on both ends of the floor. Jazelina Santillan is leading GV in scoring at 10.2 points per game. Kaylin Scheurich, Ajaya Hudson and Alexis Diaz all play key roles for the Cougars this season.

 

Merced (13-4) – The Bears enjoyed a successful start to the season and celebrated junior Averie Steverson eclipsing a milestone as she surpassed 1,000 career points. Steverson is averaging 15.4 points and nine rebounds per game. Samantha Barragan and Amiya Brown will help shoulder the scoring load from outside as the Bears hope to contend in the CCC.

 

Livingston (3-9) – The Wolves will lean on senior Tatianna Alvarez and Noelani Hocson to help contend in the Western Athletic Conference this season. Alvarez and Hocson both average near 10 points per game. Senior Dalia Castro and freshman Harnoor Jagait will also be counted on for contributions.

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.