ORINDA, Calif. – Miramonte didn’t make a two-point field goal until 1:08 to go in the first half, and only five minutes before that made its first free throw. And yet, the Matadors led by 15 after one and by as much as 24 against Oakland Tech before the Bulldogs made a run that ultimately wasn’t enough in a 68-60 Miramonte win on Saturday afternoon.
Miramonte (5-2) hit eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, and three more early in the second - amassing a 35-11 lead before its first two-point field goal. Oakland Tech (0-1) warmed up, however, making it a less intimidating 39-25 discrepancy at the half, keeping on the same pace through the third, and then whittling it down to as little as six late in the game.
But Ryan Schwarz put the final emphasis on it with a couple of free throws after his team had hit just 3-of-9 from the line during the period. When it was all said and done, that early barrage of 3s was just too much to overcome.
“I turned to the coaches and said ‘We’re pretty good coaches when we shoot like that.’” Miramonte coach Chris Lavdiotis said. “We worked all day yesterday on better shots, coming off screens, how to cut properly, catch and shoot. The players for 90 minutes graded every shot. An advantage shot or a disadvantage shot. And it was from their mouths.”
James Frye led the party from beyond the arc, converting six times to account for almost all of his 21 points. Schwarz sank three treys in the first en route to a 16-point afternoon, while Tyler Dutto added 11 to go with seven rebounds.
Niyi Olabode, the team’s leading scorer entering the game, had eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists before exiting in the third with an ankle injury. Caden Breznikar chipped in eight points, five rebounds, and three assists.
“What really hurt us when Niyi came out,” Lavdiotis remarked. “Everybody looks at him. But other guys played great. The player of the game was Andrew Sidlauskas. Taking charges, multiple efforts on every defensive rotation, getting rebounds in traffic. He’s the most productive defensive player we've got."
At tip-off, Miramonte had 46 three-pointers made in six games, with Schwarz topping the list with 13. Fry started the game 6-of-18 from deep. The team finished 14-of-30 on long-distance tries.
Oakland Tech, the defending Oakland Section champs who won 27 games and made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF State playoffs last year, was led by Dean Saleh’s 11 points. Ahmed Muhammad, Robel Zemmo, and V. Jones added another 25 combined.
Miramonte, which last season went 16-13 bowed out of the NCS Division III semifinals as a No. 5 seed, started this campaign with a blowout of Alhambra and an upset win over Salesian, but was coming into Saturday’s contest having dropped two straight, to Campolindo and St. Patrick-St. Vincent.
“It’s a fun year,” Lavdiotis said. “We’re going to enjoy every ounce of it. The kids are really connected. They’ve been together since last June doing outdoor workouts.”
