Boys basketball
No. 1 Campolindo 62, No. 4 Miramonte 57
A grueling stretch of seven games in 10 days came to an end for Campolindo on Saturday night in Orinda.
The Cougars extended their winning streak to 19 games with a victory on the road over rival Miramonte (22-4).
Aidan Mahaney had one of his best performances of the season. The St. Mary’s College-bound star finished with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists. Shane O’Reilly sank four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Cade Bennett added 12 points.
Campolindo ended the regular season 25-1 overall and 12-0 in the Diablo Athletic League’s Foothill Division. The Cougars have won 44 of 45 since February 2020.
They are all but a lock for the No. 1 seed in the North Coast Section Open Division when the playoff brackets are announced Sunday.
Given that the top two seeds in the six-team Open have byes in the first round, Campo won’t play its first postseason game until Feb. 23.
After a busy week and a half, coach Steven Dyer said his team could use the break.
“We’ve never really had that situation before,” Dyer said. “I’m glad we have at least five or six days off because we need it right now. We’re pretty tired mentally and physically after this grueling stretch.”
By now, Campolindo’s formula for success is no secret.
“These guys enjoy being around each other,” Dyer said. “I think that one of the biggest things that our program is built on is guys just accepting roles and knowing what your job is as part of a group.”
Miramonte, the runner-up to Campo in the DAL Foothill, is 22-4, 9-3. The Mats are also expected to land an Open Division berth.
No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 67, No. 13 Serra 51
Mitty avenged an 11-point loss last month at Serra, winning Saturday on its home court in West Catholic Athletic League play.
Mitty, which clinched the league title Wednesday, had three players score in double figures: Derek Sangster (21), Tyler Jones (15) and Aidan Burke (13).
“We had a big fourth quarter where we were able to get some good paint touches and open looks,” coach Tim Kennedy said.
Brady Smith scored 22 points and Ryan Pettis added 13 points for Serra.
No. 8 St. Patrick-St. Vincent 50, Salesian 42
SPSV won the Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division tournament title with a victory over Salesian to improve to 19-1.
Salesian is 9-8.
Nick Medeiros had 23 points and Jevon Blackmore chipped in with 14 for SPSV.
“I thought that they were the better team down the stretch and Nick Medeiros proved why he was chosen as our league’s MVP,” Salesian coach Bill Mellis said. “He made a lot of tough plays down the stretch and really took the game over at the end. I’ve got to give him credit.”
Logan Coverson and Alvin Loving scored a combined 22 points for Salesian.
Girls basketball
No. 5 Pinewood 57, No. 12 Bishop O’Dowd 47
It was a back-and-forth game through the first three quarters between two of the Bay Area News Group’s ranked teams.
But Pinewood (19-1) broke loose in the fourth quarter with a 14-2 run to cap off a road victory over Bishop O’Dowd (14-6).
Washington-bound Elle Ladine continued to add to her impressive resume as she recorded 21 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 14 Heritage 65, Freedom 54
The Heritage girls basketball team became the first program in the Brentwood school’s history to reach 300 wins.
The Patriots won their seventh straight Bay Valley Athletic League title, avenging a loss to Freedom, which snapped Heritage’s 55-game league winning streak this season.
Amanda Muse led the way for Heritage with 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. Caitlynn Smith and Kendall McClure added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
No. 6 Salesian 69, No. 18 Pinole Valley 25
For the first time since the end of December, Salesian (15-4) had all of its players for a game. The Pride responded by routing Pinole Valley to win the TCAL Rock Division title.
“Was nice to be able to play to our strength, which is strength in numbers,” Salesian coach Steve Pezzola said.
The Pride outscored Pinole Valley 61-13 through the first three quarters.
Neveah Asiasi had 13 points to lead the way.
Soccer
De La Salle wins league title
It wasn’t an easy start to the season for De La Salle.
The Spartans lost five of their first seven games against a heavyweight schedule that included strong opponents from the Bay Area and Southern California.
But the Spartans turned it around. They lost just once in their final 15 regular-season matches and claimed a fourth consecutive East Bay Athletic League title along the way.
“We decided to embrace the struggle and not make excuses,” coach Derricke Brown said. “All of the injuries and COVID-19 cases during that time frame gave us a chance to really understand how we needed to respond when our backs were against the wall. It brought the group closer.”
The Spartans will find out their seeding for the NCS playoffs on Sunday.
Heritage girls shut down crosstown rival Liberty
For the first time since 2013, Heritage won an outright Bay Valley Athletic League title.
Madison Del Prado scored twice in the last eight minutes to give the Patriots a 2-0 victory over crosstown rival Liberty on their senior night Friday night. Liberty had won eight consecutive BVAL titles.
“This was a very special group of seniors,” Heritage coach Kellan Christensen said. “I think because of how well they knew each other for a long time, their continuity and friendship helped the team this season.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com