The Fourth Annual NorCal Tip Off Classic at Newark Memorial High featured a number of different plots, including first game jitters, teams trying to find chemistry on the court, an underdog beating a more athletic team, among other plots. In more depth, here are the game summaries for each game:
San Leandro Pirates 73, #12 Deer Valley Wolverines 79: San Leandro came out hot as they took a first quarter lead of 26-14 behind the silky, smooth play of their senior guard Hameed Ali. The Pirates were more composed in their play despite being undersized compared to Deer Valley who have senior 6-foot-7 center Andre McPhail and sophomore 6-foot-8 forward Marcus Lee. The Wolverine size and guard play took over in the second quarter as they made a run to end the half with a 40-34 lead. The wolverine backcourt of sophomore Kendall Smith and junior Olajuwon Garner provided outside scoring and ball control while McPhail and Lee were more of a presence in the paint both on defense and offense. The second half saw the Pirates come no closer than four points as they trailed 58-51 at the end of three quarters with a final score of 79-73.
San Leandro Pirates Analysis: Ali led all scorers with 24 points and will probably be the offensive focal point for the Pirates as he has both an inside and outside scoring game. Senior forward Jermaine Gaines provided the main inside presence for the Pirates as he scored 15 points but more importantly played physical. The Pirates have a good set of guards but the question may be how they will handle bigger and more physical teams down the road.
Deer Valley Wolverines Analysis: McPhail was awarded the player of the game as he had 22 points and was a definite inside presence on defense. Garner had 21 points that included 3 three-pt shots. Wolverine guard Quincy Smith will be out till Dec 15 due to transfer rules but did confirm that he has offers from Colgate and Northeastern. According to Coach Phillips, he feels quite good about this team as they have all the pieces: good guard play, good shooters, and effective post players. If the new varsity players and transfer players can find some team chemistry, then he feels that this team can make a run in the postseason.
Dublin Gaels 71, Vallejo Apaches 52: This game was a tale of two halfs. Vallejo took a 7-0 lead and ended a very sloppy first quarter with a 12-6 lead. The second quarter was slightly better as the Apaches end the half with a 29-24 lead. Dublin had a big third quarter run where they outscored Vallejo by nineteen points to lead 51-37. The fourth quarter went back and forth as the Gaels kept their comfortable lead to win 71-52.
Dublin Gaels Analysis: Guard Joe McGlaston was awarded the player of the game as he led the Gaels with 13 points. The Gaels had six players who scored at least 7 points each. As a result, this Dublin team is quite balanced and really has a team approach to scoring. Sophomore 6-foot-8 center Eric Nielsen definitely had a size advantage on the court but did not seem to be as physical as his size would dictate. If Nielsen develops quickly, the Gaels could have enough to make a playoff run though.
Vallejo Apaches Analysis: Vallejo's roster lists their tallest player as being 6-foot-4. As a result, the guard play will have to show up. The Apaches' 8 point third quarter had them missing too many perimeter shots with no interior size to rebound. The fourth quarter saw Vallejo taking the ball to the paint more and the offense flowed better. Guards Michael Ladao and Tajai Johnson had 19 and 12 points respectively to lead the apaches in scoring. Johnson is a junior 6-foot-2 guard who is in contact with TCU, USC, and USF.
St. Patrick/St. Vincent Bruins 60, Manteca Buffaloes 53: Manteca held the early first quarter lead of 15-12 as they showed some good perimeter shooting. But the guard play for the Bruins in the second quarter caused turnovers and fast break points to give them a 32-24 lead at the half. Manteca had a third quarter run that gave them a 38-37 lead but the Bruins ended the third quarter on a run of their own to lead 47-40. The fourth quarter had each team scoring the same as the final was 60-53.
St. Patrick/St. Vincent Bruins Analysis: Senior guard Eli Woodford was awarded the player of the game as he had 16 points in addition to many hustle plays. Sophomore guard Jason Webster had 17 points as well. The Bruins' roster also has no one taller than 6-foot-4 and it is guard heavy. If the guards play well, the Bruins may be able to compete against the bigger, physical teams through the season.
Manteca Buffaloes Analysis: Forward EJ Godfrey was the only Buffaloe in double digits scoring as he had 25 points. He was an inside force on the offensive end and was more physical than the Bruins. Manteca will need more consistent guard play to complement Godfrey. Otherwise, opposing defenses can just collapse the paint on Godfrey and force the Manteca guards to make perimeter shots.
Analy Tigers 63, #7 Franklin Wildcats 55: On paper, the result of this game would be considered an upset. D3 Analy took advantage of D1 Franklin's turnovers and transition defense to take a 25-22 first quarter lead. Analy extended that lead to 35-27 at the end of the first half. The Tigers seem to be able to respond to every Wildcat run in the second half. When the Wildcats played more frenetically, the Tigers were able to break down the pressing defense. Analy led 53-45 at the end of the third quarter and finished the game with a 63-55 win.
Analy Tigers Analysis: 5-foot-9 senior guard Max Fujii was awarded the player of the game as led all scores with 23 points. More importantly, Fujii handled the Wildcat press very well and he was able to score or to assist on timely buckets to stem any Wildcat scoring run. Analy is fundamentally strong and Fujii was the epitome of that fundamental play. In addition, the Tigers were selflessly hustling for loose balls and passed the ball to break down the press and to create open shots for teammates.
Franklin Wildcats Analysis: Franklin was paced by juniors Theo Johnson and Shikabe Aziz with 17 and 15 points respectively. The Wildcats will win most track meets on the courts this season. Every position player can run and jump. In this game, one was expecting that the Wildcats make a run to take the lead. But for some reason, every scoring run was stemmed by a key Analy basket or by a careless Franklin turnover. Expect the coaching staff to make the necessary corrections. Not taking anything away from Analy's efforts, chalk this one up to first game jitters for Franklin.
#18 Berkeley Yellowjackets 75, Rodriguez Mustangs 72: Berkeley seem to have started the game with jitters as they had many turnovers in the first quarter to trail 21-10. The Yellowjackets calmed down in the second quarter to cut the Rodriquez lead to 34-33. The second half was a back and forth pace with the Yellowjackets leading 51-50 at the end of the third quarter. Rodriquez had their chances to take the lead or to tie the game in the fourth quarter but fell short 75-72.
Berkeley Yellowjackets Analysis: Berkeley was undersized in this game. Normally positioned as wing player, Langston Morris-Walker was manning the interior along with Jalil Eppenger. According to Coach McNeil, he is expecting the interior void to be filled by some football players who will be transitioning to basketball shortly. 5-foot-9 senior guard Laverne Johnson was awarded the player of the game as he had 17 points. But more importantly, he came up literally big in the fourth quarter as he battled hard for rebounds and put backs that allowed the Yellowjackets to maintain the lead. Transfer Trey Thompson showed his offensive prowess with 19 points. Senior guard Josh Amey was effective in directing traffic.
Rodriguez Mustangs Analysis: Rodriquez should have a very good year. The Mustangs had both inside and outside players. Forward BJ Smith had 19 points while guards D-Monte Britt and Frankie Johnson had 19 and 17 points respectively. Highly touted sophomore Rae Jackson had 9 points and showed no hesitation or lack of confidence with his game. Expect the Mustangs to challenge for their league this year.
#3 Oakland Wildcats 59, #11 Newark Memorial Cougars 58: Without junior guard Casey Norris due to a left wrist injury, Newark would seem to have been at a severe disadvantage. But the Cougars were playing in their home court and junior guard Yusuf Farougi stepped up. Newark led 14-13 in a sloppy first quarter. The second quarter was still somewhat sloppy as Newark maintained a one point lead 28-27 into the half. Oakland made their move in the third quarter to take a 40-38 lead as Oregon bound Jabari Brown hit a three point shot and had a breakaway slam in a two possession sequence. The fourth quarter had Brown fouling out with less than a minute but Oakland was able to hang on for a 59-58 win.
Oakland Wildcats Analysis: UC Santa Barbara bound TJ Taylor was awarded the player of the game as he had 9 points. His leadership and ball control were more important than his scoring. Good teams find ways to win even when the team is not playing their A-game. This is what happened to the Wildcats in this game. They play Berkeley High on Tuesday and Castro Valley in mid-Decemeber. They may not be able to get the win if they do not bring a more cohesive effort.
Newark Memorial Cougars Analysis: Norris was expected to be the outside threat for the Cougars. Farougi stepped in nicely for Norris as he had 26 points with eight 3-pt shots made, five of which were made in the fourth quarter. Kendall Andrews played bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame in the post. Norris expects to be back mid-Decemeber. Coach Ashmore always maximizes his talent and this season should be no different.
#5 Castro Valley Trojans 70, #2 Sheldon Huskies 61: The finale had Castro Valley taking a 20-18 first quarter lead. The Trojans maintained the two point lead at the half 36-34. The third quarter saw the Trojans pull away for a 56-47 lead. Sheldon could not make a run as they ended up losing 70-61.
Castro Valley Trojans Analysis: Roderick Bobbitt was awarded the player of the game as he led all scores with 24 points. Big East Marquette bound Juan Anderson had 18 points while athletic wing Chris Read had 14 points. Castro Valley's version of the Big Three can really carry this team far this year. Anderson and Bobbitt can do a little of everything for their position. In other words, each of them can score from the inside, shoot from the perimeter, rebound, play defense, hustle, and so forth. This versatility and multi-dimensional skill set will prove invaluable in different game situations.
Sheldon Huskies Analysis: UTEP bound Darius Nelson led the Huskies with 23 points while Ramon Eaton (Pepperdine) had 12 points. Sheldon probably goes at least eight deep on the bench of above-average athletes. For some reason, the Huskies could not gel in this game. Chalk this up to first game jitters and chemistry issues. In addition, bad turnovers and uncanny fouls stemmed any momentum in this game for them. The team made a run for Nor Cal last year and they return a potent lineup. Expect a better and more cohesive effort in the next game.
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