Half Moon Bay is definitely on the radar screen
As quiet as it’s kept the new No. 13 Half Moon Bay Cougars at 18-0 going into a Tuesday night game at home against Jefferson-Daly City have the best record not only in Northern California but in the entire Golden State.
For those Northern California boys prep basketball aficionados it should come as no surprise that the boys from the San Mateo County Coast are doing so well under fifth-year head coach Rich Forslund.
The 1976 Riordan-San Francisco graduate has been a consistent winner since starting his varsity coaching career in 1992 at Lowell-San Francisco.
After two years at Lowell and three years at Burlingame Forslund moved to his alma mater where he led Riordan to the 2002 CIF Division III state championship with a 47-43 victory over Centennial-Compton. His 2007 team and in his last year at Riordan the Crusaders team, that included his son Richie Forslund, went 28-5 and won a third West Catholic Athletic League title to go along with three CIF Central Coast Section crowns under his tenure.
When Richie graduated the self-employed insurance broker took three years off but in 2010 the bug bit him and he took over in the town where he resides.
From the moment he took the helm at Half Moon Bay the affable Forslund has produced winners. All four of his previous teams have won 20 games and averaged over 23 wins.
Now, as he goes for career win No. 371 on Tuesday against Jefferson, Forslund has more going for him than just the giant pumpkins that have made Half Moon Bay famous, he’s got size on the front line as well as the backcourt, a combination that makes this year’s version of the Cougars possibly the best team in school history.
“One of the biggest factors is the emergence of Austin,” said Forslund with regard to Austin Hilton.
Hilton, a 6-foot-6 junior center is averaging 15.3 points per game and had 29 points in a big win last week on the road at Terra Nova-Pacifica. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds in an even bigger win rankings-wise two weeks ago over St. Partick-St. Vincent-Vallejo.
“With Austin and Case it’s given us the ability to score inside and defend the paint, plus Tommy Nuno, our floor general, has size at the point, and that’s something we haven’t had before,” continued Forslund.
Case DuFrane, a 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 12.2 point a game while the 6-foot-3 Nuno is averaging 10.1 points a game.
With no real superpowers in NorCal Division IV this year like Salesian-Richmond was in the past, Half Moon Bay is definitely on the radar screen for the CIF Northern Regional Division IV playoffs.
“We’re off to a great start and look forward to the CCS Open Division,” Forslund remarked, “But absolutely, I think we have a great shot in Division IV this year but there’s a long way to go.”
Half Moon Bay will almost assuredly be in the CCS Open Division but will be able to return to D4 for the NorCals.
Boys Rankings
(Includes results for games through January 24)
1. (1) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 12-3
The Cal-Hi Sports top-ranked Dragons returned from their successful MLK Weekend travels to surpass the century mark against Piedmont in a 106-77 victory. The East Bay was lighting up on Wednesday as the same day Klay Thompson of the Warriors went for 52 points the Dragons Paris Austin had 43 points on 12 three-pointers against Piedmont. After Piedmont the Dragons posted an 83-60 win at Castro Valley. Hayward is on tap Monday night.
2. (3) Moreau Catholic-Hayward 13-5
The Mariners have inched their way right up behind the nationally-ranked big boys from Oakland but come playoff time head coach Frank Knight and his boys will be part of the Division III logjam at the top of the CIFNCS heap. This past week they had easy wins over visiting Fremont Washington (70-41) and 79-46 at Fremont Kennedy. Moreau also moved up to No. 13 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.
3. (4) Campolindo-Moraga 15-2
The Cougars move up a spot for the second-straight week and also move from No. 15 to No. 13 in the state rankings despite the fact they were idle following a blowout of Burlingame on MLK Day. On tap this week is Dublin and Lafayette Acalanes on the road and Orinda Miramonte at home.
4. (6) Drake-San Anselmo 18-2
The Pirates cracked the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings last week at No. 19 for the first time since 1982 and not surprisingly they move up to No. 16 after continuing with an 18-game winning streak after wins over San Rafael and Redwood-Larkspur. Drake is behind Moreau team that edged them at the Prep2Prep Classic but now go ahead of El Cerrito team that beat them by five on the road but now has lost to Sheldon-Sacramento.
5. (7) Saint Francis-Mountain View 15-1
Just like in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings the Lancers move up two spots from No. 20 to No. 18 there after a grind-it-out 29-25 win over St. Ignatius-San Francisco and then getting a three-pointer from just over half court from Noah Staples to give Saint Francis a 45-42 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. The Lancers have been cutting them close and will now get a chance to prove their mettle against a host Archbishop Mitty team that dealt them their only loss, 64-47 at the Father Berry tourney at Jesuit-Carmichael. Besides Mitty on tap for the top team from the CIFCCS and WCAL is a Serra-San Mateo team that is rolling right now. This will be a wild week in the wild-and-wacky WCAL.
6. (8) Monte Vista-Danville 16-2
A 67-62 overtime win over De La Salle last week coupled with a previous win over Folsom has catapulted the defending Division I state champion Mustangs up two spots here and also checking in as a newcomer at No. 19 in the state rankings. On tap is cross-town San Ramon Valley and Granada-Livermore so this week the Danville boys have their fate in own hands.
7. (9) Folsom 18-3
The Sacramento Bee top-ranked Bulldogs and the top team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section moves up two spots here and also snagged the No. 20 and final spot in the Cal-Hi Sports state pecking order. They continue to fall in behind the Monte Vista team that dealt them a 2-point loss. This past week they followed up the big 57-53 win over Woodcreek-Roseville with wins over Del Oro-Loomis and Vista del Lago-Folsom.
8. (11) Sacramento 16-4
The No. 2 team from the CIFSJS moves up and behind Folsom here after two easy wins, 75-42 and 74-60 at cross-town Metropolitan Conference rivals Valley and McClatchy. Losses are by 1-point to Campolindo to open the season, by seven to state No. 2 Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth, by four at the Maxpreps Classic to Wisconsin No. 3 King-Milwaukee and at Bishop O’Dowd.
9. (2) De La Salle-Concord 15-2
The Spartans dropped in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings and have to take a commensurate drop here as well after losing to Monte Vista. At least the Spartans faithful didn’t see them fall completely from grace after rebounding to beat San Ramon Valley. This is where they land here and in the Cal-Hi Sports pecking order.
10. (5) El Cerrito 17-3
A 62-61 loss to host Sheldon-Sacramento is not really a stinker loss when you see that Sheldon has some big wins. Still, the Gauchos have to drop and fall in behind De La Salle in the order of the previously Cal-Hi state ranked teams. Prior to the loss in Sacramento EC had solid road league wins over Salesian and St. Joseph-Notre Dame-Alameda.
11. (12) Modesto Christian-Modesto 15-3
The deciding factor in moving up the Crusaders is a 68-63 victory over an Edison-Fresno team that has a win over the Sheldon team that just upset El Cerrito. Other losses are to Moreau Catholic, Campolindo and 63-61 to El Cerrito.
12. (13) Serra-San Mateo 11-3
Losses are to De La Salle, a solid Corona del Mar-Newport Beach and by eight to Saint Francis. Last week they took down Mitty 46-43 and then blew out a Bellarmine team, 71-42, with an upset win over Mitty. Had Mitty not been in a dropping mode the Padres might have jumped even higher.
13. (16) Half Moon Bay 18-0
The co-longest winning streak in the state with Drake includes a 51-45 win at the Piedmont MLK event over a solid St. Patrick-St. Vincent team that has two wins over St. Mary’s-Berkeley and a win over Salesian.
14. (14) Woodcreek-Roseville 17-4
Losses are by 12 at Folsom, by 14 to Antelope, by a point to Monte Vista and by four again to Folsom. Solid close losses but no big wins over anyone close to ranked.
15T. (17) St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo 17-3
The Bruins rebounded from the Half Moon Bay loss to complete a sweep of league foe St. Mary’s to go with a previous win over Salesian. The No. 2 team in the Tri-County – Rock League at 5-1 has a lone league loss to an El Cerrito team they face at home on Tuesday night.
15T. (21) Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 15-4
Three wins last week for the Eagles including a Sheldon team that upset El Cerrito gets them a tie for the final write-up with a St. Pats team for the time being.
The next 10
17. (25) Sheldon-Sacramento 10-5
18. (15) San Ramon Valley-Danville 17-3
19. (18) St. Mary’s-Berkeley 14-6
20. (19) Kennedy-Sacramento 14-4
21. (10) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 9-7
22. (20) Capital Christian-Sacramento 11-7
23. (22) Salesian-Richmond 13-7
24. (NR) Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa 17-1
25. (23) Albany 18-1
Dropped out: Previous No. 24 St. Mary’s-Stockton
On the Bubble
Antelope 16-3, Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco 11-5, Bear Creek-Stockton 19-3, Bellarmine-San Jose 9-7, College Park-Pleasant Hill 15-4, Cordova (Rancho Cordova) 16-5, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove 13-4, Enterprise-Redding 13-5, Liberty-Brentwood 15-3, Liberty Ranch-Galt 18-3, McClymonds-Oakland 11-7, Palo Alto 13-3, Palma-Salinas 14-3, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 14-2, St. Mary’s-Stockton 13-7, Sierra-Manteca 18-2, Stuart Hall-San Francisco 17-2, Washington-San Francisco 18-4
