Through the first few weeks of the winter sports season, it appears that the Hilmar High boys basketball program has turned a corner.

This past weekend, the Yellowjackets won three of four games at the Harding Invitational Tournament in San Luis Obispo to improve to 8-4 on the season, marking the best record the Yellowjackets have had entering their home tournament since the 2019-20 season (7-2).

“We did some good things in the summer, winning 15 to 18 games,” said fourth-year head coach Austin Keaton. “I think that was big from a confidence standpoint for the guys, realizing, ‘Hey, we might have something special.’ Now, we're just trying to put four quarters together, every night we step out on the floor, just trying to be consistent and play hard for four quarters.”

This year’s eight victories already match last year’s total, in which the ‘Jackets achieved an overall record of 8-19. It also represents a steady improvement under Keaton, the Pitman High graduate who took over in 2022. The Yellowjackets won eight games in his first year at the helm before dropping their win total to five in 2023-24.

The secret has been consistency and unselfishness, as five players have scored in double figures at least twice, with juniors Aaron Solorio and Xavier Silveira leading the way by averaging 11.8 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.

With a revamped team, there will be a revamped version of the annual Hilmar Christmas Classic, taking place Thursday through Saturday.

Unlike in previous years where the event was a round-robin showcase, this year’s edition will be the first that will operate as a traditional tournament, with matchups throughout the week determined by on-court results. Additionally, there will be halftime 3-point and half-court competitions, as well as raffles to win prizes like tickets to NBA games, a snack bar with barbecue, a coffee pop-up and a live DJ.

Participating alongside the Yellowjackets this year will be Buhach Colony (Atwater), Ceres, Dos Palos, Lathrop, Livingston, Los Banos and Summerville.

Thursday’s action from Strom Gymnasium gets underway when BC takes on Lathrop at 4 p.m. That contest will be followed by Livingston vs. Dos Palos at 5:30 p.m. The 7 p.m. match will feature Los Banos and Summerville, while the night cap will be the home Yellowjackets taking on Ceres at 8:30 p.m.

“We’re just trying to bring some excitement to the tournament and hopefully get a good crowd to come watch some great basketball,” Keaton said. “It'll be a great family event, just doing a lot of different things to make it not just basketball, but a good fun environment for anyone that wants to come out.”

Turlock finishes fourth at 2025 Godinez Tournament

Three games, three nail-biting finishes for the Turlock High School at its home Frank Godinez Boys Basketball Tournament over the weekend. Unfortunately for the host team, only one of those contests ended in favor of the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs opened the tournament on Thursday by pulling out a 41-40 victory against Patterson, where they rode the clutch shooting and post aggressiveness from senior Donovan Muirbrook, who poured in 14 points, as well as an 11-point effort from sophomore Ledger Ladine.

Muirbrook and Ladine continued to lead the way Friday during a furious back-and-forth affair with Johansen of Modesto, in which the visiting Vikings won, 54-50, in overtime. After a hot start that saw the Bulldogs build a 14-point advantage, turnovers and misfired shots allowed the Vikings to crawl back. The Bulldogs scored just seven points in each the third and fourth quarters, while the Vikings drained five shots from beyond the arc.

Of the six points scored by Turlock in overtime, four came at the free throw line, while senior Landon Tilby had the lone field goal. 

Muirbrook led the early effort, nailing three of four shots in the first period, including a pair of 3-pointers. He finished with a team-high 12 points. Ladine hit two free throws in overtime to again finish with 11, while junior Silas Murphy contributed 10, with all but two points coming in the first half.

Ladine, despite being one of the youngest players on the Turlock roster (one of just two underclassmen), proved to be one of the most consistent scorers for the Bulldogs with an explosive 16-point performance in Saturday’s third-place game against Stone Ridge Christian of Merced.

Lockstep with Ladine for the Knights was senior combo guard Tayton Harkabus, who hit eight 3-pointers en route to a team-high 15 points, while also using his 6-foot-6 frame to snag 11 rebounds.

For his three double-digit scoring games, Ladine was the lone Turlock player to be named to the All-Tournament Team.

This year’s Godinez Tournament, the 49th edition, was won by Mountain House as they cruised to a 61-42 victory against Johansen in the title game Saturday. As for the Bulldogs, the 1-for-3 showing dropped their record to 4-3 entering a Tuesday night home game against Atwater.