In the D1 Play In game, Gregori soundly beat Chavez, 94-59 and broke the school record for points scored. Kyle Monk and Kobe Nunes put on a show with three dunks between them, and Nunes was the highest scoring player of the game with 22 points. (Samantha Schmidt)

Gregori delivers school-record 94 points to trounce Chavez in play-in game

Ron Agostini
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MODESTO – Don’t be misled by Gregori High’s season record (14-15), its modest seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Tournament (14th), or the fact it will be an  underdog Friday night at Modesto Christian.

 The Jaguars can play. And they can impress. Chavez of Stockton can attest.

“We’re not your typical 14th seed,” coach Ryan Green said moments after his team’s 94-59 rout Wednesday night that lifted Gregori into the Division I bracket.

Green is right about his Jaguars, who were hardened by a rigorous non-league schedule. The Central California Athletic League co-champions set a school record for points scored in a single game, and that was done while standouts Kobe Nunes (22 points) and Kyle Monk (9 points) sat out the fourth quarter.

Kyle Monk scored nine points in a record-setting win to open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament. Monk, Gregori's electric senior, sat out the fourth quarter. (Samantha Schmidt)

They no longer were needed, such was Gregori’s dominance.  Both teams ran full-tilt, a pace Gregori likes.

“That’s how basketball should be played—fast, athletic and fun,” said Monk, who averages nearly 25 points a game yet was content to dish to his teammates against Chavez.

Gregori and Turlock shared the CCAL title and split their matchups this season. But Turlock,  seeded ninth, was slotted for a trip Friday night to Capital Christian. Gregori was handed a play-in assignment due to an awkward tie-breaker—its loss to Pitman was more lopsided than Turlock’s.

“I didn’t mind playing the game. We saw what we needed to work on,” Green said.  “Outside the first quarter, we played well.”

Chavez (12-17), which placed third in the San Joaquin Athletic Association, led during the game’s first three minutes. From there, Gregori shifted into a gear the Titans did not possess.

Monk and Nunes, both 6-foot-2 seniors, run the floor with flare and confidence. Nunes accounted for four of Gregori’s 12 3-pointers and also finished with authority at the rim. Donovan Langarica (15 points) and Paul Contreras (10 points) assisted in the first-half pull-away.

 Gregori all but ended the suspense with a 33-point explosion in the second quarter. It featured five triples, a 3-point play and three slam-dunks--two by Nunes and one by Monk after his steal. The Jaguars were safely in front 55-33 at the break. Jordan Aubrey, a sophomore, took advantage of his fourth-quarter minutes and had 10 points. Eleven Jaguars penciled points into the scorebook.

Terrance Davis, a senior guard, finished his prep career with 15 points for Chavez. Also with 15 was sophomore teammate Terrell Tek. Jaiden Crawford, a burly junior off the football team, worked the paint for 14 points.

“They (Gregori) are a good team with two dynamite players,” praised Mack Harris, the Chavez head coach since 2011. “If they play this way and get their supporting cast to play, they’ve got a chance (against Modesto Christian).”

That may or may not be true. Modesto Christian, clearly one of the section’s best, can more than matchup with Monk and Nunes. Regardless, Friday night will bring together two of the area’s most crowd-pleasing teams.

“We’re both athletic, long and deep,” said Monk, who’s wrapping up a brilliant four-year varsity career. “I grew up with those (Modesto Christian) guys. They know us and we know them. It’ll be fun.”

And the road trip will be short and quick.