It has taken much of the season for the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Spartans to figure out roles and rotations for a group replacing a senior-heavy 2022-23 squad.

They’re getting it together at the right time, overcoming a slow start to enter itself into the race for one of three Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berths. Lathrop (6-4 WAC, 8-14 overall) has won four consecutive games, and Crisostomo played a big part in it. Last week, he led the team in scoring in two of its three games and averaged 15.3 points, five rebounds, three assists and 1.7 steals.

Second-year coach Robin Hong called him “the offensive anchor” for the week, which included an upset win over second-place Ceres.

“His mental and physical preparation helped us extend our win streak to four games, which has kept us in the hunt for playoffs,” Hong said. “Not only was Reniel consistently producing on the offensive end of the floor, but his commitment on defense has been a big boost for the team overall.

“In addition to his success on the court, Reniel is a model scholar-athlete in the classroom, as he has maintained a 4.0 GPA through the majority of his high school career."

The senior wing was an all-around contributor in the 67-59 win against Ceres on Jan. 22, producing 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Two days later in a 44-36 win at Pacheco, he paced the Spartans with 18 points, eight rebounds three assists, two steals and a block. He made five of 11 from the field, two of six on 3s and was 6-of-6 on free throws.

Crisostomo ended the week last Friday at Grace Davis, tallying 12 points, two assists and a steal in limited time as Lathrop cruised to a 58-37 blowout.

For the season, he’s averaging 12.1 points (46% field goals, 37% on 3s), 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Lathrop plays host to Beyer (6-4, 14-10) in a pivotal battle for third place tonight.