January 17, 2012
De La Salle goes to 13-2 after defeating Archbishop Mitty 69-62 in overtime at the Martin Luther King Classic. Nothing new from the Spartans as they just outplay opponents who are bigger, faster, and/or more talented on paper. In this game at UC Berkeley's Haas Pavilion, it was not the usual defensive struggle in the 30s or 40s De La Salle displayed good three point shooting and continuous back door baskets. Elliott Pitts and Amadi Udenyi scored 16 points each, while Nick Sullivan contributed 15. Despite an earlier loss to Monte Vista, De La Salle should should win the East Bay Athletic League and be in the mix for NorCals again this season.
Mitty goes to 12-3 with its second straight loss. Aaron Gordon scored half of the team's points in the loss. The guard play is not at the level as last year's state title team as Gordon was often bringing up the ball and creating offense for himself or his teammates. The junior is dominant on the glass and defensive shot blocking, but how long can he continue this before fatigue affects his play at the end of games. Gordon creates open shots for his teammates as he is often double-teamed. Without the 6-foot-7 forward on the floor, can the Mitty offense avoid stagnating? The upcoming battle with Sacred Heart Cathedral on Friday will be a good indicator of the team to beat in the West Catholic Athletic League.
Berkeley 65, St. Mary's-Berkeley 39
Langston Morris-Walker looked to be the most college ready in terms of physical size and basketball skills. Henry Cornelious is a promising lefty forward as the 6-foot-5 junior displayed some good back to the basket moves and has good size. Berkeley goes to 7-8 with the win as the Yellowjackets have played one of the tougher non-league schedules. The main question is if the difficult schedule helps Berkeley in league play and into the postseason or does it wear them down? Expect Berkeley to challenge for the ACCAL title.
St. Mary's dropped to 3-15 with the loss as the team is trying to find an identity after the transfers of David Andoh, Glenn Baral, and Isaiah Taylor from last year's 23 win team. For a program that regularly challenges for the BSAL, the Panthers are quite frankly in rebuilding mode. The young team has only four seniors with three freshmen on the roster to provide some hope for next year. But this year's team will need to set attainable goals like a double digit win season to build confidence for the future.
Newark Memorial 50, Lake Oswego Oregon 38
Casey Norris looked solid with his shot and drives to the basket. He is the senior leader of a sound Newark team that is now 12-4. The losses have been to all ranked teams including nationally ranked Dematha from Maryland. The sophomore class for Newark is intriguing as Joey Frenchwood will be one of the better point guard prospects in that class. But the interior size is made up of 6-foot-5 Damien Banford who is built more like a football lineman and 6-foot-8 Matthew Thomas who is a beanstalk. Newark is a legitimate challenger in Division II this year but could be heavier favorites in the next two years.
Franklin-Elk Grove 54, Deer Valley 51
For Franklin, the obvious playmakers are Darin and Theo Johnson (no relation). Both Johnsons displayed a surprisingly good outside touch that can complement their quickness and slashing. Victor Rustin is listed as a forward at 6-foot-2 as he chipped in with 15 points and was able to put a body on Deer Valley's interior. These three accounted for close to 90 percent of the scoring in this game. It will be interesting to see if these three can provide enough offensive firepower to make a run in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs as the team goes to 14-4.
Deer Valley has played a Jekyll and Hyde role so far in the season as the team goes to 11-6. The Wolverines have balance in size and scoring for both the interior and exterior with Marcus Lee, Olajuwon Garner, and Kendall Smith. In this game, the team had multiple six point leads but could not close it out . The BVAL would still seem to favor Deer Valley even with the inconsistent play, but the postseason will not be as forgiving.
Salesian 62, Sacramento 41
Salesian goes to 15-2 with its only losses to teams in the state of Florida and look primed for another state run. The bench on this team would make a formidable starting five. Without the distractions regarding eligibility from last season, the Pride should run through the BSAL before postseason starts. Dominic Artis' departure to Findlay Prep does not seem to be a big deal as Salesian has filled the void in the backcourt. The Pride have an early February game with Sheldon that could help in the Bay Area versus Capitol bragging rights.
Sacramento goes to 12-5 with the loss and was simply outplayed. Last year's team had big post man Robert Garrett to erase any defensive lapses from the perimeter. This year's edition is a much smaller guard oriented and zone defensive team. Sacramento moves up to Division II this year as Newark and Mitty from earlier in the day both displayed a much better team effort from the DII contenders at the event. Sacramento is talented but needs to put in a team effort against better opponents.
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