Boys Basketball
Oakland 79, Modesto Christian 69
The Wildcats made it look easy.
A mix of hot shooting and suffocating defense contributed to the dismantling of the No. 1 team in the Sac-Joaquin Section as Oakland cruised to an upset victory over Northern California powerhouse Modesto Christian.
The Wildcats are no strangers to winning big games this season. Oakland has now won three games (Sheldon, Culver City, Modesto Christian) against teams who are ranked inside the Top 100 of the Maxpreps’ California High School basketball rankings.
Anthony Lacy led the Wildcats with 20 points and Jonathan Chapple added 14.
Oakland jumped out to a big lead early. Lacy scored 14 out of the Wildcats’ 18 points in the first quarter, getting to the rim at will.
The Wildcats built on their lead in the second quarter as Oakland coach Orlando Watkins instructed his team to guard the Crusaders 94 feet. The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run in the second, all from steals in the full court press that led to layups.
At halftime, the Wildcats led 46-24.
Oakland took its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter after Lacy scored on a turnaround jumper from the left baseline, making the score 56-33 in favor of the Wildcats.
But Modesto Christian went on a 13-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to just 10 with under two minutes left in the third.
The Crusaders got to the line often in the fourth, but Oakland’s hot shooting picked back up to lead the Wildcats to their biggest win of the season.
Oakland (18-6, 6-1 Oakland Athletic League) has three more games remaining in league play that concludes with a matchup with Oakland Tech on Feb. 14. Oakland lost to Oakland Tech earlier this season, but could even the score with the possibility of the OAL regular season championship on the line.
Leigh 66, Wilcox 50
The Longhorns extended their winning streak to five behind Caleb Asante’s 27-point performance.
After Wilcox scored 21 second quarter points to go down just one at halftime, Leigh’s defense held the Chargers to just 20 points for the rest of the game. Cooper Smith scored 12 of his 21 points in the second half to lift the Longhorns to the win. Smith also led all players in rebounds with 19.
Brayden Rosa led Wilcox with 18 points and Yousef Iqtish chipped in 17 in the loss.
Leigh (14-7, 6-4) currently sits at third in the Blossom Valley Mt. Hamilton Division with two games left in the regular season. The Longhorns will play second-place Branham in their season finale on Feb. 13.
Northgate 70, Mt. Diablo 36
There was no upset in this Diablo Athletic League Tournament game as the Broncos routed Mt. Diablo by 34 points to advance to the second round.
Senior Daniel Louie scored a game-high 15 points and Jake Andjus added 10 in the win.
Northgate held Mt. Diablo to six points in the third quarter and outscored the Red Devils 32-16 in the second half.
Mt. Diablo guard Malik Benson scored 10 points in the loss.
Northgate will play at No. 4 seed Benicia on Tuesday.
Piedmont 67, St. Joseph Notre Dame 55
The Highlanders (15-9, 6-4) moved to within one game of second place in the West Alameda County Conference Foothill League with their win over the Pilots (12-12, 5-5).
Brit Burden led the way for Piedmont with 21 points, including three makes from beyond the arc. Ravi Silverberg and Declan Linnane each added 13 points.
The Highlanders led 27-25 at halftime and opened the game up in the third quarter. Piedmont outscored St. Joseph 22-12 to go into the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead.
Piedmont closes out its season with games against San Leandro on Wednesday and Castro Valley on Friday.
Girls Basketball
No. 8 Pinewood 56, San Domenico 42
Pinewood High teammates head back to the bench during a timeout against St. Mary’s High, of Stockton, during a Sabrina Ionescu girls basketball tournament match at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. Pinewood lost 45-46. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Pinewood extended its winning streak to seven with a win over Marin County juggernaut San Domenico.
Both teams came into the matchup with immaculate records in league play. San Domenico is 10-0 in the Bay Counties West League while Pinewood hasn’t taken a loss in seven West Bay Foothill League games.
After a close first quarter, Pinewood controlled the game for the next three. Going into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, Pinewood scored 16 in the final eight minutes to put the game away.
Alex Facelo scored a game-high 21 points for Pinewood and Jolyn Ding added 12.
Pinewood improved to 17-4, 7-0.
No. 6 Piedmont 75, Oakland 46
Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez shoots the ball (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
Only six players played for the Highlanders, but that was all they needed to defend home court against Oakland.
Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez scored a game-high 39 points which included eight 3-pointers. She also had four assists and six steals.
Samantha Smith recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Martinez caught fire in the second half as she scored 23 points in the final two quarters.
Oakland guard Daijha Teague scored 13 points and Tyliana Velasquez scored 12 in the loss.
Piedmont improved to 17-5, 5-1. Oakland is now 15-7, 4-1.
Berean Christian 44, Las Lomas 30
The Eagles allowed no more than 10 points in a quarter in a gutty, defensive win over Las Lomas in the first round of the DAL Championship Tournament.
The two teams were tied at 16 at the intermission, but Berean (19-8, 7-5) pulled away in the second half thanks to Jadee Salvadir scoring 11 of her game-high 13 points in the last two quarters. Gaby Abigor also had 13 for the Eagles.
Teyana Cooley led Las Lomas (9-19, 2-10) with nine points.
Berean will face No. 3 seeded Campolindo on the road in their second round matchup.
Granada 63, Livermore 19
The Matadors turned in their best defensive performance of the season, holding crosstown rival Livermore to just 19 points in the first round of the East Bay Athletic League Playoff Tournament.
Granada (7-19, 3-6) put the game away early as the Matadors went into halftime with a 24-point lead.
Kayla Carroll led all scorers with 30 points in the win.
Granada advances to the second round where they will play at Foothill on Tuesday.
Northgate 71, Ygnacio Valley 44
The Broncos are moving on to the second round of the DAL playoffs with a 27-point victory over Ygnacio Valley.
Amelia Schrag (21), Ava Nicolas (13) and Samantha Myhr (21) combined for 47 points in the win. Northgate made 12 3-pointers as a team.
The Broncos (19-8, 8-4) will face No. 4 seeded Clayton Valley in their second round game on Tuesday.
