No matter how it goes down, Tuesday night’s battle between the Riordan Crusaders and Serra Padres is going to be a high-speed collision.
Looking to win in San Mateo for the first time since 2009, the Crusaders will be ready to run through a brick wall, and they’ll be met by a Padres team that defends the home court as well as anyone. When two objects so strong collide, there are bound to be shockwaves.
Over the past two decades, Serra has almost always been at least in the hunt in the WCAL. The Padres haven’t won a league title since 2005, Chuck Rapp’s fifth year leading the program, but they’ve been right in the mix nearly every year, fueled in part by a home gym that’s earned a reputation as one of the toughest venues to play in across all of Northern California.
“It might be the toughest environment for us to play in year in and year out,” Riordan head coach Joey Curtin said.
No matter who’s been the leader of the pack in the WCAL, the trip to Serra is always a daunting task. Aaron Gordon’s Mitty teams lost at Morton Family Gymnasium when the Orlando Magic star was a junior and a senior, and the league title always seems to go through San Mateo. The league champion has won at Serra each of the last six years, including a one-point win by Mitty after the Monarchs trailed by as much as 14.
A comeback at “The Jungle” was one of the key factors that kept the Crusaders away from the title last year, as they led by 12 in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost 67-64 in a game that came back to haunt them in the coming months. That loss has helped turn the 2020 WCAL campaign into a revenge tour of sorts for the purple and gold, and they knocked off one of the major items on their to-do list last Tuesday with a win at Mitty, something the program hadn’t accomplished since 2002.
While the Monarchs are an outstanding team year in and year out and always seem to shoot well at home, playing at Serra is simply a different animal. The fans are right up on the court and will do everything they can to rattle opposing players, the rims seem to give the visitors tough bounces at the most inconvenient times and crucial calls seem to favor the home side more often than not.
Also adding to the atmosphere Tuesday night will be the personal element of the game for members of both teams, as the top-ranked Crusaders and fourth-ranked Padres both draw from Daly City, Pacifica and South San Francisco on their rosters. Dominic Wilson, who’s been huge for Riordan in Robert Vaihola’s absence, is a Pacifica native along with Sean Quanico, while Serra’s Julius Alcantara comes from Daly City. Crusader reserve Justin Miller is from South City, as are Serra’s Jevon Jesus and Ryan Wilson.
The ties run deep in more than just a geographic sense. Not only is Riordan the closest high school to Serra by distance (just ahead of St. Francis), there are bloodlines on both sides as well. Crusaders point guard Bryce Monroe’s older brother, Brandon, played football at Serra and graduated in 2016. Rapp had long wanted the younger Monroe to suit up in the blue and gold, and the two have maintained an amicable relationship for years, having been spotted talking after the teams’ first meeting, a 50-48 Serra win at the Crusader Forum on Jan. 4.
Rapp may not be coaching this year as he recovers from hip surgery, but the Padres’ same relentless nature is there with interim head coach Brian Carson. Serra may lack the sort of Division I talent that Riordan and the other WCAL frontrunners boast, but the Padres do what it takes to win, playing a full 32 minutes with every man who sees the court getting in their opponent’s face on defense and scrapping for every last loose ball.
Riordan’s done the same as of late, getting it done not just with incredible talent but with the burning desire that it takes to win the title in one of the most grueling and physical leagues around. That showed up last Tuesday at Mitty, and it’ll need to come again just a week later.
No. 7 St. Francis (12-5, 4-3 WCAL) @ No. 3 Mitty (14-3, 5-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
With the WCAL schedule halfway done, the element of surprise will no longer be available for St. Francis. A young team that most expected to be a year away, the Lancers have been competitive in almost every game, save for a 20-point loss to the Monarchs back on Jan. 4. They’ll have a chance to remedy that on Tuesday night against a Mitty team still playing without Nigel Burris, missing a second straight game with an ankle injury.
No. 10 St. Ignatius (6-11, 1-6 WCAL) @ No. 9 Sacred Heart Cathedral (7-10, 2-5), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Once again, Sacred Heart Cathedral is going to be in the discussion for one of the last spots in the CCS Open Division. Considering that Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep, two other bubble teams, both have wins over St. Ignatius, a victory tonight would be crucial for the Fightin’ Irish. SI is starting to turn the corner after taking some beatings in the first half of league play, leading Bellarmine through three quarters and beating Valley Christian on Friday. The Irish may be without sophomore guard Ray-John Spears tonight; his status is questionable as he has been attending to a family emergency the last few days.
No. 17 Valley Christian (8-9, 0-7 WCAL) @ No. 2 Bellarmine (15-2, 5-2), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors will look like a different team from the one that lost to the Bells by 40 when they take the court on Tuesday night. Freshman Jurrion Dickey is back from a sprained ligament in his knee after rehabbing on the freshman team. Joining him and point guard Jaiden Paran will be Shea Maddox, who excelled on the JV team as a freshman and will finish the season with the varsity squad. The Bells can’t risk looking ahead to Friday’s showdown with Mitty, as doing so could send them to their first home defeat against Valley Christian since 2005.
No. 20 Cupertino (10-8, 3-3 SCVAL De Anza) @ No. 21 Mountain View (12-6, 3-3), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
With Jailen Daniel-Dalton back, the Spartans have two main offensive weapons between him and Ryan Bahar. Having both of them against a Pioneers team that plays some of the toughest defense around gives Mountain View a shot to finally put up some points. Cupertino allowed just 36 when the teams first met on Jan. 8, and the Pioneers allowed 45 to Los Altos Wednesday in an upset bid. Los Gatos also scored 45 against the Pioneers in regulation, a game Cupertino eventually won in four overtimes.
No. 8 Sacred Heart Prep (13-3, 6-1 WBAL) @ Eastside (12-4, 3-4), Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Needing to keep pace with Menlo for a Feb. 7 rematch, the Gators need to take down the defending league champs on Tuesday night. Eastside played such a light schedule in December that the Panthers were still finding themselves when the teams met on Jan. 7, but the rematch should deliver strong post play between SHP’s Charlie Selna and Eastside’s Raymond Reece. As for guards, look for the hosts to ride David Haines and Van White while the visitors lean on sophomore Aidan Braccia and dynamic 6-foot-4 senior Jai Deshpande.
El Camino (8-10, 3-3 PAL North) @ No. 12 Half Moon Bay (13-4, 6-0), Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
The Colts finally played up to their potential last Monday by knocking off Hillsdale in a nonleague contest, and considering that HMB split with the Fighting Knights in December, that makes Wednesday’s matchup on the Coastside one that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’ll be the second game of four this week for the Cougars, who travel to South San Francisco Tuesday night, host Oceana Friday and welcome Sacred Heart Prep for a nonleague tilt on Saturday.
No. 23 Evergreen Valley (12-3, 4-2 BVAL Mt. Hamilton) @ No. 22 Santa Teresa (13-3, 5-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m.
For years, the Cougars have come into league play with a strong record but have been undone by playing a soft early schedule. They have a chance to undo some of that and hit the midpoint of the Mt. Hamilton schedule within a game of first place if they can pull off the road win on Wednesday night and avoid consecutive losses for the first time all year. Piedmont Hills won at Evergreen Valley Friday. The Saints suffered their first league loss last Wednesday to Leigh but got 26 points from Mahmoud Fofana in Friday’s home victory over Sobrato.
No. 7 Menlo (15-3, 7-0 WBAL) @ King’s Academy (8-9, 4-3), Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Think the SEC has it bad with three of 14 teams called the Tigers? Look at the WBAL, where three of the eight teams are called the Panthers and two more are the Knights. King’s Academy is still shorthanded entering Tuesday’s tilt, with Noah Short out sick and center Kevin Sielski still rehabbing from an foot injury he suffered during football season.
