SAN PABLO – Stars get the most of the glory on a championship run, but it is the so-called “role players” who are often the difference between an early exit or a deep foray into the playoffs.
Lead guards Aaron Claytor and Amani Johnson combined for 27 points and got most of the opponent’s attention during Salesian’s 48-33 victory over Serra in the first round of the NorCal Division I playoffs.
But it was unheralded freshman Elias Obenyah, a 6-2 combination of wiry athleticism and untapped potential, who provided a spark for a team that often struggled to get the ball through the hoop at Contra Costa College on Tuesday night.
He scored five points in the first half and also bothered Serra’s guards into mistakes with his energy and activity as a defender.
A year after being upset by Central-Fresno in the first round of last year’s NorCal Division II playoff, Salesian emphatically punched its ticket to the D-I quarterfinal by holding Serra to only seven made field goals in the second half.
Salesian has held six of its last 10 opponents to under 40 points.
“It starts in practice, because that’s where I’ve learned to play in the system,” Obenyah said. “We’re really intense on the ball, and it makes it hard for them to make easy passes.”
The first quarter was a points bonanza compared to the rest of the game, with Salesian finishing ahead 16-13 after eight minutes. The teams made one basket apiece in the second quarter, which was a great sign for Salesian’s defense but also caused its coach some concern.
“We can’t have these long spurts of not scoring against the caliber of team we’re going to be playing in this tournament,” said Salesian coach Bill Mellis, whose team scored 49 points in an NCS semifinal loss to De La Salle, and exactly 50 in a consolation game win over Granada in the last week.
The margin stayed around six-to-ten points throughout the third quarter, and Serra’s Seamus Gilmartin made a layup on the first possession of the fourth quarter to cut Salesian’s lead to 36-30.
But instead of sparking a comeback, that make was the last highlight of the San Mateo school’s remarkable season.
Not only did Claytor and Johnson make several big shots to give Salesian more and more of a cushion, but Obenyah and fellow freshman Isaiah Davis’ energy contributed to a defense that held Serra scoreless for over seven minutes.
Serra coach Chuck Rapp had nothing but praise for his players’ effort after the game.
“We had a great run, and that’s what you remember, more than the last game,” Rapp said.
The Padres (17-12) started West Catholic Athletic League play 0-4. Rather than giving up on the season, Serra won seven of its last 10 regular season games. It then went 3-0 in Central Coast Section pool play, including an upset over NorCal Open team Archbishop Mitty, and lost by just six points in the section championship game against Sacred Heart Cathedral.
“We could’ve quit, but instead we went on a big run,” guard Ryan Pettis said. “In the end we just ran out of gas.”
Johnson led Salesian with 15 points, and Clayor scored 12. Serra’s Gilmartin scored eight points, and Marcel Elicagaray scored all seven of his points in the first quarter.
Salesian (24-8) will play host to 14th-seed University-San Francisco on Thursday, a team that went on the road and shocked No. 3 Jesuit-Carmichael 92-85 on Tuesday night.
“They’re a very well-coached team, and a team that puts up a high number (of points),” Mellis said. “They play extremely hard, and its going to be a difficult game.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com