Prep roundup: San Ramon Valley, Granada boys advance to EBAL basketball semifinals
SRV visits Dougherty Valley, Granada travels to De La Salle on Thursday. Oakland Tech boys edge Oakland again, clinch OAL title.
Boys basketball
San Ramon Valley could be peaking at precisely the right time.
The Wolves (23-5) won their sixth straight game on Wednesday night, beating host California 64-53 in the quarterfinals of the East Bay Athletic League boys basketball playoffs.
Up next for SRV, which is No. 8 in the Bay Area News Group Top 20, is a semifinal match at top-ranked Dougherty Valley on Thursday night. The Wildcats are 23-3 overall and went 8-1 in league games. San Ramon Valley was 5-4 against EBAL opponents, including a 64-58 loss to Dougherty Valley on Jan. 10.
This will be the third game in three nights for San Ramon Valley. Dougherty hasn’t played since thumping Dublin 80-65 on Friday.
“Tired, exhausted, ready to play,” SRV coach Brian Botteen said.
If the game against No. 17 California (17-9) was an indication, the Wolves might indeed be at their best when they’re a little worn. The game was tied 28-28 at halftime. SRV led 45-41 after three quarters, then outscored the Grizzlies 19-12 over the final eight minutes.
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Luke Isaak had 19 points, Seamus Deely scored 16 and was 8-for-8 on free throws, and Matthew Diekmann had 10 points.
The Wolves were without two key players in guard Jack Moxley, who is recovering from the flu, and forward Eliott Conley, who is hobbled by an injured ankle. SRV lost 6-foot-7 Will Ambidge during the game when he took a hard fall and injured his ribs.
But San Ramon Valley is a deep team. It’s also a scary group of Wolves. Five of the wins in this six-game streak are by at least 11 points. And 13 of the 17 players on this roster will return next season.
“We find ourselves in a good rhythm if we keep playing,” Botteen said.
Yup, no better way for a young team to improve than to keep playing, especially against good opponents like they regularly see in the EBAL.
California will have a chance to make some noise in the North Coast Section playoffs that start next week. On Wednesday, Kellen Torrey made plenty of noise for the Grizzlies with 19 points.
No. 9 Granada 79, No. 7 Dublin 69
The Matadors led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter of a surprisingly easy EBAL quarterfinal win on Dublin’s home court. Just 10 days ago, the Gaels beat Granada 67-60 in the same gym. Granada (20-7) stays on the road Thursday night when it visits third-ranked De La Salle (20-6) in the other EBAL semifinal. Saint Mary’s College-bound 7-footer Andrew McKeever led Granada with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. NaVaughn Long scored 17 and added eight boards, and Tyler Harris had 13 points, with 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Kevin Grant had 11 points for the Mats. Dublin (18-9) got 19 points and seven assists from Donovan Cooks. Courtney Anderson Jr. dropped in 18 points and Mehki Thomas added 12.
No. 11 Moreau Catholic 72, American 43
The Mariners continued their dominance of the Mission Valley Athletic League, improving to 13-0 in league play and 20-5 overall. Moreau has won 12 of its 13 MVAL games by at least 21 points. The exception was a 71-59 victory over James Logan. Kellen Hampton had 27 points for Moreau and Lebrie Gaudy-Lee had 11. Jesse Ybarra knocked down 10 points. American (10-15, 4-9) was led in scoring by 6-foot-5 junior forward Kiratraj Sanghera with 21.
Oakland Tech 61, No. 12 Oakland 59
Maybe the upset of the night wasn’t really an upset. Oakland Tech clinched the Oakland Athletic League title by beating Oakland for the second time this season, with both wins being by two points. Tech (16-11, 9-0) edged the Wildcats 81-79 on Jan. 20. With only one league game left before the playoffs, Oakland is 7-2 in the OAL and 20-7 overall. The Bulldogs have flown under the radar this season, possibly because of a lackluster 7-11 record in non-league play. Oakland is 13-5 outside the OAL. But make no mistake, Oakland Tech has had excellent success under coach Karega Hart, who is in his 13th year. The Bulldogs have won at least a share of the OAL title for seven straight seasons, not counting the 2020-21 campaign that was shortened by the pandemic. Six of those championships were outright, and Tech is 67-2 in regular-season league play during that stretch. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs trailed at halftime before taking a 38-37 lead in the third quarter on a free throw by Stanford-bound football star Omar Staples. Tech outscored Oakland 20-10 in the period. It was the only quarter the Bulldogs had more points than Oakland.
Milpitas 68, Wilcox 61
The Trojans led by as much as 14 points early in this game before Wilcox made it close in the fourth quarter. Milpitas (15-7 overall) and Wilcox (14-8) are now knotted at 7-3 in SCVAL El Camino play, one game behind Lynbrook (13-9, 8-2), which rolled past Fremont-Sunnyvale 64-35 on Wednesday. Sophomore Jake Wrencher had 15 points and seven rebounds for Milpitas, and senior Jason Oldham added 12 points and handed off five assists. Miles Bonilla led Wilcox with 14 points. Wilcox visits Lynbrook on Friday night. Milpitas is finished playing Wilcox and Lynbrook. All three teams have two league games remaining.
Palo Alto 47, Los Altos 31
The Vikings remain very much in contention for the SCVAL De Anza title after their victory over Los Altos. Palo Alto had a 29-14 second-half scoring advantage over the Eagles to win going away. The Vikings are 17-5 overall and 8-2 in league play, tied for second with Mountain View and one game behind Los Gatos. All three teams have two league games left, with Mountain View still having to play both Palo Alto and Los Gatos. The Vikings play Saratoga on Friday night and finish with Mountain View on Tuesday. Jorell Clark and Mert Yanar each had 12 points for Paly. Noah Chen chipped in 11. Los Altos is 9-14, 4-7.
Girls basketball
No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 92, Valley Christian 37
Freshman sensation McKenna Woliczko had another big night for the Monarchs, scoring 27 points in a non-competitive West Catholic Athletic League contest. Mitty (21-2, 9-0) had 53 points at the half. Valley Christian has struggled this season at 12-11 overall and 3-6 in the WCAL. Haley Hernandez was the only other Monarch in double figures with 13 points.
No. 19 Moreau Catholic 56, American 42
A 15-2 run over the third and fourth quarters sealed it for Moreau Catholic. The Mariners (16-8, 11-0 Mission Valley Athletic League) trailed 30-25 when their run began. It was 40-32 Moreau when it ended. American gave Moreau all it could handle in the first half and led 21-19 at the break. American is 16-9, 9-3 this season and will finish second in the MVAL standings. The only game left for the Eagles is a non-league encounter Friday against Lowell-San Francisco.