Turlock High began its home tournament on Thursday by dominating the Bulldogs — the Ceres High Bulldogs, that is, pulling out a 62-46 victory.

“I thought our defense played well, we put pressure on their ball handlers and that kind of got us some early transition baskets and gave us that comfortable lead,” Turlock head coach Doug Cornfoot said.

Ceres came within eight with a 22-14 score,however, that would be as close as they would get for the remainder for the match as they struggled to find the paint with Turlock’s Kenny Fraser and Travis Cook dominating the inside.

Turlock was strong early on as they outscored Ceres 27-18 in the first half, but they were just getting started on the offensive side.

“We just put the pressure on but tried not to worry about making mistakes on a press or a trap,” Cornfoot said. “I think the pressure kind of got to them and helped us out to get that quick lead and momentum.”

Led by Fraser’s double-double, Turlock began the third hot and blew past a Ceres squad that failed to convert on transition opportunities and committed costly fouls.

“We played well tonight, tomorrow we need to come out ready to play early,” Cornfoot said.

Despite a sloppy fourth, the Bulldogs of Turlock were still able to consistently press the Ceres offense to cement the win.

Fraser finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Devan Bains added 14 points, two assists and a steal. Demsen McFaddin had nine points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Turlock will face off against Beyer High at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

“Beyer, they’re a very tough team, well coached, very well disciplined,” Cornfoot said. “Basically, all teams here are tough; you better come out ready to play each and every game if you want to win.”