League champs! Oakland Tech boys capture outright OAL title with a dominant victory over Oakland

OAKLAND – When Oakland Tech stepped onto the Oakland High floor, it was greeted by large photos of Wildcat legend Damian Lillard on each wall, and his jersey hung above the main doorway.

Instead of attempting to channel the Oakland icon by outscoring the Wildcats in a high-tempo affair with the Oakland Athletic League title on the line, the Bulldogs gritted out a stop-and-start 60-50 victory on Wednesday night.

Despite being the Bulldogs’ 31st consecutive regular-season league victory and its sixth straight over their rivals, Ardarius Grayson still savored an OAL championship and rivalry win the Bulldogs have come to expect.

“Playing this game and being a champion every year, it’s really big and it is something that we should enjoy, and not just something we let pass by,” Grayson said.

Oakland Tech (21-5, 8-0) had beaten Oakland (18-7, 6-2) a few weeks earlier in a 52-44 thriller.

Despite playing in a game where the athletes often stood still more often than they tried to make baskets – the teams combining for 58 free throws – visiting Tech guards Chase Millheim and Grayson never seemed to stop moving.

Grayson led all scorers with 17 points, darting into any opening he could find on Wednesday night. When he wasn’t putting the ball in the basket, the senior guard dished out six assists and played his trademark above-the-rim defense.

Oakland Tech's Chase Millheim (1) guards Oakland High's Da'sean Armstrong (3) as Eric Jackson (5) sets a screen during their game at Oakland High School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) — Oakland Tech’s Chase Millheim (1) guards Oakland High’s Da’sean Armstrong (3) as Eric Jackson (5) sets a screen during their game at Oakland High School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Meanwhile, Millheim scored 12 points and hit three 3-pointers but arguably made his biggest impact as an on-ball defender. The tenacious point-of-attack stopper stripped several Oakland ballhandlers in the first quarter and set the tone for the rest of the night.

“I’m a short guard, and I’ve had to work hard my whole life to just play good defense,” Millheim said. “If I get a steal, I feel really good for the rest of the game.”

Oakland had not played in a week, and the Wildcats certainly looked rusty to start in a game where Tech never trailed.

The Bulldogs went up by as much as 17-6 in the first quarter thanks to Grayson drives and a couple of 3-point makes by forwards Xan Meyer-Plettner and Jasen Davis.

Oakland, which got a team-high 13 points from shifty guard Da’Sean Armstrong, cut the deficit to 19-13 by the end of the quarter but saw the Bulldogs take a 36-26 lead into halftime after Tech steadied itself.

Oakland High's Da'sean Armstrong (3) shoots past Oakland Tech's Ardarius Grayson (0) during their game at Oakland High School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) — Oakland High’s Da’sean Armstrong (3) shoots past Oakland Tech’s Ardarius Grayson (0) during their game at Oakland High School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Bulldogs led by double digits for the majority of the second half, owing much of that to Oakland High’s inability to make free throws. The Wildcats drew contact regularly and were rewarded with an unguarded shot from the stripe.

They missed 14 of them in total, and eight clanked off the rim in the third quarter alone.

The Bulldogs were hardly marksmen from that spot either but made a more respectable 20 of 29.

Up next is the section playoffs, which has seen Tech face Oakland for the title in the past few seasons.

Barring an upset by a very capable Fremont-Oakland team, the two juggernauts from Alameda County’s biggest city should once again duke it out next week.

“I’m looking forward to the playoffs a lot,” Millheim said. “I love playoff games.”

Oakland High’s Couraji West (32) grabs battles for a rebound with Oakland Tech’s Kingston High (13) during their game at Oakland High School in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)