SAN MATEO, Calif. - One of the Bay Area’s most storied high school basketball traditions was born in 1977 when Bob Drucker, then the head coach at St. Ignatius, told a reporter from the San Francisco Examiner, “We have to go to Serra, and it’ll be a jungle down there.”
To this day, the Padres decorate Morton Family Gymnasium to resemble a jungle every time the Wildcats come to town. And buoyed by a boisterous home crowd, Serra has held the upper hand in the matchup most of the time. But this year, SI has assembled a squad talented enough and mentally tough enough to withstand any of the most raucous environments in the West Catholic Athletic League.
The Wildcats proved as much Tuesday night in a Jungle Game rout, using a big run late in the first half to take a double-digit lead and never looking back in an 83-57 victory.
“This is obviously a tough place to play, but I think our guys were ready,” SI head coach Jason Greenfield said. “We stuck to our game plan and executed.”
With a pair of starting post players in Alex Moore and Ty Landers both standing at least 6-8, the Wildcats (10-1, 1-0 WCAL) forced the Padres (8-3, 0-1) to overcommit to defending the frontcourt. That opened things up for SI’s guards, and Raymond Whitley and Steele Labagh took full advantage, combining for 36 points.
Moore and Landers both handle the ball and pass it better than most high school players of their size, and the Wildcats’ offense was clicking when they pushed the ball inside, drew extra defenders and kicked the ball back out for open looks. Whitley attacked the basket on his way to a team-high 19 points, while Labagh — an MIT commit — knocked down five of SI’s 11 made 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
“Our bigs today were very unselfish. Shoutout to them,” Labagh said. “We kept getting into the post and we’d kick out every time. Big, unselfish win. (We were) getting the shooters open.”
The opening stretch of the second half was critical for Serra, but the Wildcats took the crowd out of the game by scoring six quick points, all in the paint, and forcing a Padres timeout. The visitors stretched the lead above 20 by the end of the third quarter and past 30 in the fourth before a late Serra spurt with both teams’ starters out of the game.
Greenfield was able to empty his bench with 10 different players scoring for SI, seven of whom tallied at least five points. Wyatt Von Blanco did his best to keep the Padres in the game, scoring 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, but the Wildcats denied him easy looks after that and Serra did not have the depth to keep up.
“Unselfishness. That’s the key to our offense,” Greenfield said. “When we get the ball inside and we create mismatches because they switch, we were able to get whatever we want when that ball moved out of the post.”
SI faced several of the Bay Area’s top teams in non-league play, beating Clayton Valley, Acalanes, San Ramon Valley and University in November and December. The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the year last Saturday, a 65-64 defeat against California as part of the Bay Area Challenge. Greenfield’s team responded emphatically three nights later, winning at Serra for the second straight year after the Padres had won 20 of the previous 23 Jungle Games.
The WCAL gauntlet continues for SI with a home game Friday against Valley Christian, while Serra hits the road to face Mitty. The Monarchs defeated the Warriors on the road Tuesday night in the first game of league play.
“Nothing prepares you for what the WCAL gives you,” Greenfield said. “It’s such a grind night in and night out. You get through seven games and you have to go play everyone a second time.”
Terra Nova wins battle of Pacifica over Oceana
Dan Johnston has remained in his post as the athletic director at Oceana, but left his role as the Sharks’ head coach to take the job at crosstown rival Terra Nova last offseason.
So in the final tuneup before league play Monday night, Johnston was at his usual workplace, but coaching on the visitors’ bench. And his Tigers won their 36th straight meeting against Oceana, pulling away after a tight first quarter for an 81-44 victory.
Terra Nova has moved up to the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division this season, while Oceana — which has experienced a decline in enrollment in recent years to less than 500 students — will leave the PAL entirely and join the Private School Athletic League for most sports in the 2026-27 academic year. The Sharks will remain in the PAL for swimming, tennis and wrestling, sports the PSAL does not offer.
“I have a lot of respect for these kids here (at Oceana) and I thought we treated them respectfully,” Johnston said. “I thought Oceana did well. They just don’t have the athletes to compete with other schools in the area.”
The Sharks (4-6) took an early lead thanks to three baskets from Dexter Miller, but the Tigers (7-5), led by senior guard Kai Gieraths, pulled ahead by the end of the first quarter, then outscored Oceana 28-7 in the second. Gieraths scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the first half before taking it easy after that.
Jesse Martinez and Jonathan Martins carried the load for Terra Nova in the second half, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Oceana, which has won just two league games in the last 10 years, got 18 points from Catcher Ashkinos and 11 from Miller. The Sharks open PAL-Ocean Division play Wednesday against Woodside.
The Tigers have their third head coach in as many years, with Robby Wierzba leaving after three seasons and Ike Wade guiding Terra Nova to a 14-12 record last winter. Under Johnston, the Tigers have transitioned from a zone defense to a man-to-man ahead of Friday’s PAL-Bay opener at Sequoia.
“We’ve gotten off to a slow start every game,” Gieraths said. “That’s definitely something we have to work on, especially playing better teams in the Bay Division. But it’s nice to have a game like this, everyone getting in for the last time before we play some serious games.”
