The battle for first place in the Foothill Division of the Diablo Athletic League was never truly a battle, as visiting Campolindo jumped out to a 14-point lead after one quarter and a 20-point lead by halftime, on its way to a decisive 53-35 victory over Clayton Valley Charter on Friday night.
Sophomore Aidan Mahaney had 13 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter, as the Cougars surged to a 19-5 lead after the first eight minutes. Mahaney drilled three shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter, and added another three-pointer in the second quarter, as Campolindo led 29-9 at the half. 6-foot-6 sophomore Matt Radell complemented Mahaney's outside shooting as well, scoring eight of his nine points in the first half.
Junior wing Emmanuel Callas, another tough match-up at 6-foot-5, added seven points in the second half for the Cougars, as the game was never in doubt. Senior Pedro Alday led Clayton Valley with 12 points, all of them in the second half.
Campolindo improved to 15-5 overall, 6-0 in league play, while Clayton Valley fell to 15-4, 4-1 in league action. The Ugly Eagles had won seven in a row prior to Friday night's showdown, but struggled offensively against the NCS fourth-ranked Cougars. Clayton Valley entered the game No. 10 in the Prep2Prep NCS rankings, and had not scored fewer than 60 points in any previous contest.
Around the NCS
Acalanes overcame a 12-point deficit to rally for a 69-62 victory over College Park, getting 18 points each from juniors Joey Carrillo and Jackson Aris-Dumas, while junior Scott Ruegg added 12 points and senior Aidan Bodner had 10 points to round out a quartet in double figures.
Brad Ehlen's apparent game-winner in the final two seconds of regulation was waved off as the Heritage junior was whistled for a charge, and Pittsburg emerged victorious in overtime, 60-54, handing the Patriots their first loss in BVAL play, leaving Deer Valley as the lone unbeaten in the league standings. Stanford Walker tied the game in the final minute of regulation for the Pirates, and Jalen Robertson opened the extra period with a three-point play to give the Pirates a lead they would not relinquish in overtime. Pittsburg and Heritage are now tied for second place in the league, after Deer Valley held off Freedom by seven points to forge a one-game lead in the standings.
McKinleyville freshman Jack Clancy swished in a turn-around heave from beyond half-court at the buzzer to lift the Panthers past host Fortuna, 66-63, on Friday night. They had trailed by 23 points at halftime before stunning the Huskies' home crowd.
Urban and Stuart Hall each picked up big wins to remain two games behind University in the BCL-West standings. The Blues downed Lick-Wilmerding, 55-42, while Stuart Hall turned the tables on an earlier loss to San Domenico, defeating the Panthers 35-31 on the road after having lost at home by 15 points earlier in the season. San Domenico dropped to 3-3 in league play, falling to fourth place. University's 71-58 win over Marin Academy keeps the Red Devils in front by that two-game cushion.
Santa Rosa held off a big fourth-quarter by Windsor to post a 58-52 victory in a big NBL-Oak victory for the Panthers, evening their record in league play at 3-3.
Rancho Cotate got 17 points from sophomore Andrew Pengel and beat Ukiah at the buzzer, 51-50, to remain two games behind Healdsburg in the NBL-Redwood standings, tied with Maria Carrillo for second place at 4-2 in league play, after the Pumas fell to Healdsburg on Friday night. Junior Jayvion Scott added 12 points and freshman Sai Vadrawale rounded out a trio in double figures with 10 points for the Cougars.
Dublin ended its three-game EBAL losing streak with an emphatic 79-40 victory over California, while San Ramon Valley's 60-44 win over Granada and De La Salle's win over Amador Valley means that Monte Vista and De La Salle are now in second place, two games behind Dougherty Valley, while San Ramon Valley, Granada and Dublin are all tied for fourth place another game back.
Liberty picked up its first win in BVAL play, rolling past Antioch, 80-49. The Lions started fast, building a 14-point lead just halfway through the first quarter, and though the Panthers cut the deficit to six points at the half, 31-25, the final 16 minutes were all Liberty, keeping Antioch winless in the BVAL.
Back-to-back field goals from Isiah Mellor to start the fourth quarter finally created some separation between San Leandro and Mt. Eden, and the Pirates maintained their lead from there, defeating the Monarchs 61-53 in WACC-Foothill action.
