El Cerrito getting lots of contributions
After falling out of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings when they were upset by Sheldon-Sacramento three weeks ago the El Cerrito Gauchos are back.
Last week was anything but easy, but after a 70-61 win at St. Mary’s-Berkeley and then a hard-fought 71-66 home win over Salesian-Richmond, head coach Michael Booker has his boys at 10-0 in the Tri-County – Rock League with the title wrapped up.
“It’s still the three-headed horse, Tyrell Alcorn, Sayeed Pridgett and Carlos Johnson but we have a lot of contributors right now and that has been big,” Booker told Prep2Prep.
“Our big kid (6-foot-7 sophomore center) Aaron Banks has been playing well,” continued Booker. “Sherab Nyima, Devin Davis and Jalen Walton have been contributing more and Edward Gray was cleared and just got eligible. We’re trying to rotate him in because he gives us an outside threat.”
Gray, a sophomore guard that transferred from Salesian is the son of the Edward “Ed” Gray, the 1997 Pac-10 Player of the Year at Cal who went on to play for the Atlanta Hawks.
In the St. Mary’s win it was Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound do-it-all junior that transferred from Arizona’s Shadow Mountain-Phoenix, leading the way with a double-double 19 points and 12 rebounds with five assists and three steals. Alcorn had 17 points and Pridgett had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assist.
Against Salesian it was Pridgett topping the Gauchos with 23 points followed by Alcorn with 14 and Johnson with 11 points.
“Johnson’s numbers have gone down a bit because teams are triple-teaming him,” Booker remarked. “But Carlos is the ultimate teammate. He wants the ball because that's the kind of player he is, but he doesn’t get down when he draws so much attention and doesn’t get the ball.”
For El Cerrito, the loss to Sheldon was a bit of a wake-up call coming down the stretch to the playoffs.
“Coming into the Sheldon game we were on a 10-game winning steak and the guys kind of relaxed,” Booker said. “We still had an opportunity to win but we didn’t finish at the end. That game made them realize we can lose – and if we don’t play hard we will lose."
Speaking of losing, prior to the 10-game winning streak that preceded the Sheldon loss, the Gauchos dropped a 67-63 decision to a Campolindo-Moraga team they face again on Saturday at home in a very intriguing match-up.
Boys Rankings
(Includes results for games through February 7)
1. (1) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 16-4
The Dragons weren’t exceptionally sharp in a 64-51 league win at Mt. Eden-Hayward and then on Saturday at the Mater Dei-Santa Ana Nike Extravaganza they played well but still lost 63-52 to Oak Hill Academy of Virginia despite a combined 35 points from Ivan Rabb and Paris Austin. The assembled media, including Ronnie Flores, who does the Grassrootshoops national FAB 50 and the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings, still felt O’Dowd was the best team in the state based on their showing down south, so they retained the state’s No. 1 spot in both rankings. Here’s Flores reasoning and an assessment of the Oak Hill loss. “After talking to other respected media scribes at the Nike Extravaganza, O'Dowd was still looked at as the stronger team and that was the main factor in the decision. O'Dowd simply didn't play physical enough in the first half and didn't execute well enough in the second half.” They stay ahead of a host Mater Dei team that took down state No. 3 Fairfax-Los Angeles. With all the national fanfare games behind them O’Dowd can now concentrate on finishing up the West Alameda County – Foothill League before the CIF NCS playoffs and ultimately the CIF Northern Regional Open Division competition.
2. (2) Moreau Catholic-Hayward 17-5
Not much changed this past week as the Mariners coasted with two convincing Mission Valley Athletic League victories, 83-61 at Irvington-Fremont and 105-65 over visiting Mission San Jose-Fremont. Head coach Frank Knight and his boys have four out of state losses to solid teams and a loss to state No. 2 Mater Dei-Santa Ana, all early on, and currently holding fast at No. 13 in the state while riding a 13-game winning streak with two weeks left in league play. Sophomore Damari Milstead led the way with 20 points against Irvington and then led six players in double-figure scoring against Mission San Jose with 20 again.
3. (3) Campolindo-Moraga 20-2
After a 108-73 win on Tuesday over Alhambra-Martinez that was in last week’s record, the Cougars improved to 9-0 in Diablo Foothill League play with a 79-49 victory over Las Lomas-Walnut Creek. The losses to Montgomery-Santa Rosa and a stumbling Drake don’t look that great right now but the wins over fast-rising El Cerrito and host Modesto Christian at their Holiday Hoops tournament do look good and El Cerrito is coming up again on Saturday in a game the Prep2Prep caravan will try to attend. Nowhere to move up here but in the state rankings they get a one-spot bump to No. 14 and right behind Moreau.
4. (4) Monte Vista-Danville
After moving up two spots last week the Mustangs hold tight here but move up one spot in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings to No. 16 after a 62-34 win over Foothill-Pleasanton and a 71-28 trouncing of California-San Ramon. This Friday is East Bay Athletic League showdown No. 2 with a visiting De La Salle team they defeated 67-62 in double OT in Concord three weeks ago. Before hosting Sparta head coach Nick Jones and his boys have a Tuesday date in Livermore.
5. (5) Folsom 21-3
Unlike last week when the Bulldogs got a two-spot bump there’s nowhere to move up this week for the top team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section here, however in the state rankings they move up from No. 18 to No. 17 and right behind No. 16 Monte Vista. It was a light week with only a 76-64 over Nevada Union-Grass Valley that has Folsom winning eight-straight since a 66-64 loss to the Monte Vista team they stay behind.
6. (6) Sacramento 20-4
The mid-level Northern California teams are all bunched in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings with the Dragons falling in up a spot at No. 18 and right behind Folsom. Last week they picked up two Metropolitan Conference wins, 74-43 at Laguna Creek-Elk Grove and 65-58 at stubborn cross-town Franklin. Sacramento is now 11-0 in conference play with three games remaining over the next two weeks.
7. (7) De La Salle-Concord 20-2
The Spartans continue to fall in behind Sacramento here and up a spot from last week at No. 19 in the state rankings. Just one game since the last rankings and it was a 72-33 blowout of Amador Valley-Pleasanton. Sparta invades Monte Vista on Friday night however unlike in football they will be an underdog to the hosts Mustangs.
8. (8) El Cerrito 21-3
Gauchos continue to fall in behind De La Salle just like in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.
9. (9) Modesto Christian-Modesto 20-3
Crusaders have won 10-straight since a 63-61 loss to the El Cerrito team they fall in behind. Last week in Metro Modesto Conference play they easily dispatched cross-town foes Gregori and Enochs, 80-31 and 85-41, and then in an interesting non-league match-up with No. 19 Capital Christian in Sacramento last Saturday they posted an impressive 67-46 victory. Conference play continues with games this week with cross-town Downey and Beyer, and then head coach Richard Midgley and his boys host N. 11 Sheldon on Saturday.
10. (10) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 13-7
It’s been a wild and bumpy ride in the wild-and-wacky West Catholic Athletic League for the Monarchs but after a 2-0 week the top-ranked team from the CIF Central Coast Section is in a position made easier by Bellarmine upsetting Saint Francis, to take the top spot in league next week when they meet Saint Francis on the road and try to make it a three game sweep. They’ll also need help by Serra losing. Before then Mitty has one game this week on Wednesday hosting Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco.
11. (14) Sheldon-Sacramento 15-5
What was is in the past and what is right now is Sheldon has re-emerged as a large school power and is beginning to roll at the right time heading into the playoffs. The Huskies have a couple of stinker losses but since beating El Cerrito they’ve added five-straight to take over the top spot at 10-1 in the Delta League. Now, they get to fall in behind a Mitty team they lost to 72-68 in San Jose to open the season.
12. (15T) Woodcreek-Roseville 20-4
The No. 2 team in the Sierra Foothill League at 8-1 gets to come up right behind Sheldon and take a spot of one of the faltering Bay Area teams. Besides two losses to Folsom, both on the road but only one in league, the Timberwolves have a one-point loss to Monte Vista and one loss that some would call a stinker to an Antelope team knocking on the door of these rankings.
13. (13) Half Moon Bay 23-0
The dream ride continues for the team with the best record in the state, and although the Peninsula Athletic League – North competition is not very tough the Cougars can’t do anything about that fact. Their best win, 51-45 over St. Patrick St. Vincent-Vallejo, is a bit diminished with that team’s recent problems, so at this point the boys from the coast probably won’t be able to go any higher until they make some noise in the playoffs.
14. (17) San Ramon Valley-Danville 18-4
Since back-to-back losses to De La Salle and Monte Vista the Wolves have improved to 8-2 in East Bay Athletic League action with three wins including 66-32 and 69-33 wins last week over Livermore and Granada-Livermore, respectively. This week they have California and Foothill and then they finish next week with second match-ups versus De La Salle and Monte Vista.
15. (11) Saint Francis-Mountain View 16-2
The wild-and-wacky WCAL scenery keeps changing every week. After the Lancers lost by double-digits to Mitty for second time but came through to beat Serra, threy held onto first place in league. That was before they got bit by the bug, or make it the bell, like in Bellarmine, in a 37-36 home loss. Last week they dropped six spots and this week they have to fall again, but out of deference to the toughness of thew WCAL, and the fact Bellarmine also an upset of Mitty on its resume and a win over the Sacred Heart Cathedral team that just upset Serra, allows Saint Francis to hold down the final expanded spot.
The next 10
16. (12) Drake-San Anselmo 21-4
17. (15T) Serra-San Mateo 15-5
18. (18) Kennedy-Sacramento 18-5
19. (19) Capital Christian-Sacramento 14-8
20. (20) Salesian-Richmond 16-8
21. (21) Albany 25-1
22. (23) Stuart Hall-San Francisco 22-2
23. (25T) Sierra-Manteca 22-2
24. (25T) Palma-Salinas 18-3
25. (25T) Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 18-2
Dropped out: Previous No. 22 Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco, No. 24 Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove
On the Bubble
Antelope 20-4, Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco 13-7, Bear Creek-Stockton 20-4, Bellarmine-San Jose 12-8, Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa 21-2, College Park-Pleasant Hill 18-5, Cordova (Rancho Cordova) 20-5, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove 17-6, Enterprise-Redding 16-6, Jesuit-Carmichael 16-8, Leland-San Jose 16-4, Liberty Ranch-Galt 22-3, Marin Catholic-Kentfield 15-9, McClymonds-Oakland 14-7, Mission-San Francisco 18-6, Palo Alto 17-4, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 18-6, Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 11-9, St. Mary’s-Berkeley 14-9, St. Mary’s-Stockton 18-7, St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo 19-7, San Leandro 16-6, Shasta-Redding 14-6, Washington-San Francisco 20-5
