* Emerson Junior High, 2121 Calaveras Ave., meetings are in the library from 7 to 8:30 p.m.: seventh grade, Tuesday, March 27; eighth grade, Tuesday, March 13; and ninth grade, Wednesday, March 14;

* Harper Junior High, 4000 E. Covell Blvd., meetings are in the multipurpose room from 6:30 to 8 p.m.: seventh grade, Thursday, March 29; eighth grade, Wednesday, Feb. 29; ninth grade, Thursday, March 15;

* Holmes Junior High, 1220 Drexel Drive, meetings are in the multipurpose room from 6 to 7:30 p.m.: seventh grade, Wednesday, March 28; eighth grade, Wednesday, March 14; ninth grade, Tuesday, March 13.

All families are invited to attend the schools’ open houses, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, at Harper; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, at Emerson; and 6 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at Holmes.

By a hair’s breadth, the Davis High boys were forced to watch this winter’s Sac-Joaquin Section basketball championships from the stands.

The high-scoring Blue Devils’ 14-12 record was undermined by a weak Delta Valley Conference power rating — and a so-so 5-5 league mark by the locals.

In the end, once ranked as high at 13th, DHS whiffed in its final two contests and missed the 16-school tournament field.

So, does Devil coach Dan Gonzalez have the run-and-gun style — called The System — on his radar for next fall?

“Absolutely,” the veteran mentor told The Enterprise. “I thought it brought some good, positive energy to the program — energy from our players, coaches … the fans. You could feel it.”

Davis averaged 82 points a night. Only Valley Christian of Roseville (84.2 ppg) — which also runs The System — scored more in California.

Four times the Blue Devils went over 100 points (actually losing a game, 109-101 to Grant), and looked like world beaters with a late four-game win streak until final-week setbacks to Franklin and Elk Grove ended their season.

Gonzalez has no regrets about introducing the new style to his team just 3½ weeks before the start of the season.

“There was new energy, even when we were still in the middle of growing with it,” Gonzalez thought. “I felt like I was just learning the game as we went through it. Sometimes changing things is refreshing. Drills were different. It was a whole new way of playing the game, and everybody seemed to enjoy it.”

Indeed. DHS erased a four-year-old, single-night attendance mark when a 71-68 win over Laguna Creek drew 1,123 fans to the North Gym. On three other occasions, more than 700 people packed the local facility.

Despite the take-no-prisoners tempo and gaudy point totals, DHS’ individual scoring was spread among an 18-player roster.

Junior guard Hayden Russell — one of the league’s top defenders as well — hit for 13 ppg. Right behind was another 11th-grader, Kevin Sorensen (12.6 ppg), and senior Tyler Sousa (12.1 ppg). Elvis Bikoba, the long-range senior guard, and Brandon Strong, a 3-point specialist and a midseason call-up from JV, averaged just under 10 points a game. Strong is a sophomore.

Gonzalez praised the inside play of Sorensen, saying “he really came on in the second half of the season,” adding that there is a solid nucleus of returning juniors whom the coach believes will develop further during the off-season. They include Grant Dickerson, Daniel Bonetti, James Kilkenny, Tommy Slabaugh, Conor Brehm and Harrison Allen-Sutter.

Asked to look back at what the seniors meant to Devilville, Gonzalez sighed wistfully before answering …

“We had toughness. We had shooters. Versatility — Ilanko (Nataraajan) could play four positions, Tyler could post up if we needed to … and he was a great shooter. And Elvis was a shooter who played very well. We’re losing (a cast) that was committed to team, team, team.”

In addition to that trio, DHS will lose to graduation Jack Yoder, Arnell Rusanganwa, Matthias Wilken, Patrick Barrientes, Bryan Hensley and Kris Mackewicz.

“These were mature young men and they’ll be missed,” Gonzalez added. “Hats off to them for being able to adjust so quickly after three years in (the old read-and-react) system.”

But now it’s onward and, hopefully, upward as Davis gets involved in a spring league and assorted summer tournaments.

Gonzalez admits that he and The System guru, assistant Gary Smith, soon will have long discussions about tweaking the fire-drill style to perhaps bolster defense and find a way to keep key players on the floor longer than in 50- to 75-second shifts.

“If we go full-bore with shifts longer than we did, coach Smith told me, ‘You’ll run their legs off and they won’t recover in time for the next shift.’ ”

Smith used The System at the University of Redlands, where he was a Hall of Fame coach.

Notes: Gonzalez pointed to a talented group of junior varsity players who he sees as possible replacements for some of the departing seniors. The coach likes the way C.K. Hicks plays defense and “can be a force inside and shoot.” Logan Davis, Brett Bloomfield, Ben Crook, Matt Michael and Drew Gnos also were mentioned as Gonzalez thought about the Blue Devils’ future. … Gonzalez will be meeting with Smith and assistant George Sousa to see if they can return next year. Sousa’s son Tyler and daughter Sara (a Lady Blue Devil guard) are both headed for college in the fall. … Gonzalez thanked fans and sponsors, too: “The community really stepped up. Parents and fans were great. We had a lot of good sponsors. Those crowds made a difference at home. I can’t thank Davis enough. Being a one-high-school town … it’s just special.” … The DHS basketball banquet will take place March 4 at El Macero Country Club (5 p.m.).

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.

The Aggies had a roster full of young talent with 10 underclassmen and a first-year head coach, Jim Les, who brought with him a new system.

Les, a former Sacramento Kings guard, came to UCD this season after nine years at Bradley University, where he transformed a nine-win team into a program that averaged 20 wins in his final five campaigns. But it didn’t happen overnight, and he knew it would be no different for the Aggies.

From Day One, he emphasized team play, defense and fundamentals, and the need for the players to buy into the system.

Early on, the Aggies seemed unable to get all of the aspects together in the same game. But Les and his guys stayed the course and built character and camaraderie in a season that featured an 18-game losing streak.

Recently, the various parts have started to align and UCD has been firing on all cylinders, winning three of its last five games, including back-to-back wins over Big West rival Pacific and nonconference foe Northern Arizona last week.

“I’m really pleased with the progress of these guys,” said Les, whose team is 4-23 overall and 2-11 in conference. “They’ve dealt with a tremendous amount of adversity.”

The newest trouble spot for the Aggies is an injury to junior point guard Paolo Mancasola. He was hurt in the first half of Monday’s loss in Seattle and did not play the remainder of the game.

“If he was healthy, I bet we get back-to-back road wins,” Les said. “It’s another part of adversity. Through it all, I’ve seen some really good strides.

“These guys have developed as players and as a team, not only physically, but also mentally.”

UCD did not practice on Tuesday and Mancasola’s availability is still unknown. Mancasola is a big part of the Aggie offense and defense, as his 61 assists are second on the team, and 36 of his 47 rebounds are defensive.

“We made him captain of our team because of the attitude and work ethic he brought to the team,” Les said of the Shasta College transfer. “He’s running our team efficiently. He’s really been an outstanding defender for us.”

UCD plays its final home game Saturday against Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. at The Pavilion. The Titans (18-7 overall) are 9-3 in conference play and fall in behind first-place Long Beach State.

“I want to see our guys continue to stay focused and put themselves in a position to win,” Les said. “I expect nothing less Saturday.”

Defense has been one of the biggest areas of improvement for the Aggies over the past few games. UCD handily won the second halves in its last three wins, including holding Northern Arizona to 20 points in the final 20 minutes.

“They’re starting to take pride defensively,” Les said. “Your defense allows you to stay in games. Guys are buying into the impact they can have defensively. It’s part of their progression.”

— Reach Kim Orendor at korendor@davisenterprise.net