In Friday's non-league outing, the Sacred Heart Prep Gators (Atherton, CA) basketball squad nipped the visiting Menlo-Atherton Bears (Atherton, CA), by a margin of 60-59.
The Gators (18-6) will now prepare for their outing against Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco, CA). The Fightin' Irish go into the non-league outing with a 14-11 record. In their last outing, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory got by Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, CA), 58-49, in a non-league outing.
The Bears now own a 21-4 record. They play next when they travel to Archbishop Riordan for a non-league outing on Monday, February 20. Menlo-Atherton will clash with a Crusaders squad coming off a 58-49 non-league loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco, CA). The Crusaders record now stands at 19-6.
Hello Bears fans! Welcome to Round 1 of the CCS playoffs!
And what a game for a first round contest, as the Bears travel across El Camino Real to crosstown rival Sacred Heart!
The Gators have had another impressive year: 25-5 & 14-0 league in 2021-22, and following that this year so far with a 17-6 & 8-2 campaign
SHP’s only 5 losses this year were by 2 points, 2 by 4 pts (one of which was in OT), 5 (also in OT), and a mysterious one to Carlmont by 13
The Gators started the year just 4-4, then won 10 straight, but then finished just 3-2, that slower ending maybe hopeful for the Bears
Despite these schools being less than 2 miles apart, they’ve played each other just 14 times in the 19 years since MaxPreps records began
MA owns an 11-3 edge in the series, and had won 8 straight coming into this year’s earlier matchup in January. But that was a heartbreaker.
The Bears trailed by 3 after 1, but turned things around for a 6-point halftime lead, and slightly extended it to 7 after 3
But Sacred Heart, cheered on by its large home crowd, chipped away in the 4th, scoring the first 7 to tie it. It was then back and forth.
MA took a 3-point lead late, but the Gators made a 3 to tie it at the end, and then the clock ran out, sending the game to OT
In a defensive-oriented OT, MA only scored 1, and the Gators 4, but that was enough, and MA suffered its 2nd loss of the year
But that 2nd loss was one of just 3 they’ve had all year! It’s been a spectacular season, MA currently 21-3 overall and 12-0 in the PAL!
They’re PAL champs once again! In the final games of the year, beating in succession #4 Carlmont away, #3 Hillsdale away, & #2 Burlingame!
Their 21-3 start barely trails the 22-3 of 2019-20, is closing in on the 24-3 of 2018-19, and then the 25-2 of the incredible 2015-16 season
They’ve also now won 12 straight to close the regular season, tied for the 3rd-longest streak of the last 19 years (behind an 18 and a 17)
Their only other 2 losses were to perennial powerhouse Riordan by 13, & @ state-ranked #14 San Ramon Vly, who they were beating in the 4th!
MA is ranked top 8% in the Bay Area; top 6% in all of California; & #4 in the CCS, behind only Riordan, Mitty, and Priory, just ahead of SHP
The CCS playoffs have Divisions 1-5, all single-elimination; and then this Open Division, which has 2 pools of 6 teams each
Each team plays 3 games against various others in its pool, & then each of the two pools’ winners play each other for the Open championship
So MA plays at SHP tonight, at Riordan on Monday (another intriguing rematch!), and then Wednesday at home vs Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep
If they win all 3, they play the other pool’s winner next Friday night down at Santa Clara University’s Leavey Center!
MA is the 6th seed in this Open: #1 Mitty, #2 Riordan, #3 SHP, #4 Serra, #5 St Ignatius, #7 Sacred Heart Cathedral, #8 Santa Cruz
As for tonight’s matchup, MA is 9-1 in the road, SHP 9-1 at home
For common opponents, MA is 6-0, SHP 5-1, that sole loss to Carlmont, who MA beat twice
I also need to point out the success of the girls: they finished 22-2 overall, and also 12-0 in league!
They’ve won 20 straight, closing in on the last 19 years’ 2nd-longest streak of 22, and the longest of 26, for both boys and girls combined!
Their combined 12-0 in league happened only once in those 19 years (2015-16) when they also went a combined 55-10 (43-5 so far this year)
So this is a special season! Coach Molieri achieved his 200th career MA win with the boys, and newer Coach Yob his 50th with the girls
The girls have two first-round byes, opening their top-level Division 1 playoffs Tuesday versus an opponent TBA, as the #1 seed
But tonight it’s the boys vs SHP!
Two other notes: of their best single-game defensive points allowed of the last 19 years, MA recorded #1 (9 pts) and #2 (21 pts) this year!
And on the other end, their 59.8 offensive ppg this year is the 4th-best over those 19 years (72.6, 62.5, and 62.2 being tops)
Meanwhile, SHP scored a higher average of 64.4 this year, but also gave up an average of 52, to MA’s 45ppg average defensive efforts
Join us at 7 for this CCS Open Division opener!
Be here in person if you can! It’s the first night of winter break, but hopefully lots of MA fans are still in town to show up loud & proud!
Wear your maroon & gold! Go Bears!!
Btw each game still matters, even though it’s not single-elimination: success in the Open Division determines potential NorCal spots!
The photogenic SHP campus and gym area on this Friday evening as spring approaches with these lengthening evenings!
Early-arriving crowd filtering in. These 2 nearly neighboring schools and their players and parents know each other very well!
And of course students: I’ll be very curious see if the student sections are as large as both were in January, w Presidents Week next week!
Pregame chat between refs, players, and which doesn’t happen in regular season, coaches. AD’s also exchanging notes.
SHP student section theme is clearly blackout. Still awaiting an MA section, hope there’s a big one! Probably searching for parking. :-)
Looks like MA students were right behind SHP’s! Theme: camo
FYI pix are uploading very slowly, tho better than last time. Still, not sure if I’ll be able to provide any since I have to keep score too
Cell signal is weak inside, and no one knows the wifi password :-(
Starting 5 for MA: 1 Price, 10 Eisner, 12 Williams, 14 Okereke, 23 Chang
Senior Grant Zell is unavailable, ankle still injured from 2 games ago, though on the mend! Hope we see you playing again very soon!!
Approaching standing room only!
1:25
Fouls Bears 4, Gators 3
5 Bears have scored
Sorry for the lack of pix, will hope things speed up a bit! That last one was end of first quarter
It’s packed here and hot!
4:15
3:30
Williams leading MA w 10
Fouls Bears 6, Gators 5
2:45
Williams with the go-ahead layup as time ran out in the first half!
Great job MA Dance!!
Williams leads MA w 12, Eisner & Price 5 each
This is what you want for a Friday night playoff game! Thanks fans for showing up for both teams! 2nd half ahead!
Team fouls Bears 7, Gators 6. Chang w 3
Great team effort, making up for Zell being injured! Stepping up!
GO BEARS!!!
4 timeouts left for both teams
6:30
4th on Chang
3:25
2:35
3 timeouts left for each team. Only 1 team foul on each this half, though that 4th called on Chang hurt. GO BEARS!!!
2:09
Technical called on SHP
Moore with the jam!! Bears lead by 6!
4 fouls on each team
3 timeouts remain for each team
Zell injured and out, Chang w 4 fouls, doing this the heat way! GO BEARS!!
7:05
5 on each team
5:23 left
What a game!!
MA timeout w 5:21 left. 2 TO left for MA, 3 for SHP
Fouls Bears 5, Gators 6
4:55
Chang back in for MA
4:10
SHP calls timeout, 2 left for each team. 6 fouls on each team, ChNg w 4, no one else w more than 2 for MA
Chang fouls out
2:18, SHP at the line
MA calls time w 2:11 left, 1 remaining, 2 left for SHP
MA ball at their end
7 on each team
1:45
3 on Okereke
Offensive foul on SHP, 8 on each team, 1:09 left!
4 on Okereke
:52 left
SHP calls timeout w :52 left, 1 TO left for each team. MA ball at SHP end. Fouls Bears 9, Gators 8
Nowhere we’d rather be tonight. GO BEARS!!!
40.2, MA to the line!
MA calls timeout, 10.5 left, out of timeouts, SHP 1 TO left, 9 fouls on each team, SHP ball at MA end
DEFENSE!!!GO BEARS!!!
Okereke fouls out, 2.1 left
SHP at the line
Gators win
What a game. Proud of both teams.
SHP beats MA by 1, again
Eisner 14, Price/Williams 12, Okereke 11, Moore 4, Chang & Missan 2 each
SHP ended it with a 3, then a layup w 2 seconds left, and made a critical free throw. MA got a half court shot but it was off
That was the final shot
Just a few more seconds on the clock, and who knows?
Proud of MA for this game, Zell out w an injury, Chang 4 fouls for much of the 3rd & 4th before fouling out, and Okereke also fouling out
Next up: a road trip to Riordan on Monday! Then Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep at home on Weds!
And our 22-2 girls have 2 first round byes and await their CCS D1 opponent, at home on Tuesday!
Thank you SO much for joining us, this is what you want for a Friday night playoff game, though of course a different outcome
Next year I imagine the regular season game will be at MA, and this rivalry is sizzling!
Please have a safe Friday night and weekend, and as always, GO BEARS!!!
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