HAYWARD — Two storied East Bay high school basketball programs, coached by men rooted deep in the fabric of the sport, met in an elimination game Friday night.
Both trying to advance another round in the North Coast Section Division I playoffs.
With the gym filled to capacity, Moreau Catholic grabbed the upper hand in the first half on its home court and never allowed Bishop O’Dowd to make a run that might have intensified the quarterfinal down the stretch.
When it ended, Moreau soaked up a 61-45 victory that moved the Hayward school into a semifinal Tuesday at home against third-seeded California, a winner over Liberty on Friday.
O’Dowd finished 17-12.
For Moreau coach Frank Knight, the victory was his fourth in the past five meetings against his friend, O’Dowd’s Lou Richie.
Before that, O’Dowd owned the series between the Catholic schools.
“We get up for O’Dowd,” Knight said. “When we prepare for them, we know they’re well-coached. I take it as a challenge and I am sure Lou takes it as a challenge. We really try to have the kids prepared and ready, which they were.”
Robert Morgan II scored 16 points, Kellen Hampton had nine points and 11 rebounds and LeBrie Goudy-Lee finished with 10 points and five rebounds for Moreau.
The Mariners also got the usual high energy from 5-foot-9 senior point guard Jesse Ybarra, a kid with bushy black hair and no low gear in his game.
He had eight steals and five assists, to go with eight points.
“I just try to be there for my team,” Ybarra said. “They need me to do all the hard work out there, all the little things, all the aggressive plays to get the ball back on defense. I try to do it all for my team, share the ball, get everybody involved.”
His energy was a big reason Moreau took command in the first half despite early foul trouble.
The Mariners led 17-10 after the first quarter and 33-21 at halftime. They stretched the margin to 47-30 after three quarters.
O’Dowd cut the deficit to nine midway through the final period but couldn’t make it closer as an up-and-down season for the storied Oakland program came to an end.
Junior Leo Chapman led the Dragons with 12 points. Seniors Amos Hodgson and Miles Burrows combined for 15 points.
“You’ve got to give credit to Moreau,” Richie said. “I feel bad for our seniors, Amos and Miles Burrows. We talked about it after the game, how much they’ve improved since their freshmen year. No one would have imagined they’d be as good as they are. Great young men.”
O’Dowd couldn’t overcome 24 turnovers, not against a team as talented as Moreau.
The Mariners extended their winning streak to 13 games while advancing to the Division I semifinals for the second year in a row.
Under Knight, Moreau has captured NCS titles in Divisions IV, III and II but has yet to win Division I.
Dougherty Valley ended the Mariners’ season last year.
“It’s our get-back year,” Morgan said. “This is my senior year. It’s our last ride. We’re trying to go all the way.”
Knight coached Friday with a heavy heart after attending his aunt Lydia’s funeral earlier in the day. She died of pancreatic cancer.
“All my family was behind the bench,” Knight said. “People flew in from all over the place for the funeral. It was good to have them here. She would have been at this game.”
Given the result, she would have been a proud aunt, too.
Source: www.mercurynews.com