By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
UNION CITY, Calif. - Newark Memorial's boys basketball team won its 66th consecutive Mission Valley Athletic League game on Tuesday which isn't big news.
The Cougars have owned the MVAL for five years plus.
But what is significant is at least the Cougars (Newark) now have someone to play with.
Host James Logan (Union City), a one-time East Bay power now revitalized under coach Chris Fortenberry, was every bit Newark Memorial's equal in terms of grit, athleticism and skills.
But down the stretch, the Cougars showed more poise and confidence in a superb 59-55 MVAL victory before about 2,500 fans.
E.J. Farris scored 12 of his team-high 13 points in the second half including two free throws and a nifty hesitation drive and lay-up in the final minute to help the North Coast Section's sixth-ranked team according to MaxPreps improve its record to 15-4 overall, 6-0 in MVAL play.
Teammates Ifeanyi Ezeofor and Rahala Bayanzai added 13 points apiece and sophomore Khion Sankey took over in the fourth quarter with eight of his 10 points to help hold off the ninth-ranked Colts (14-5, 4-1), who took Newark's best shot early, seemed to take control early in the fourth quarter before falling.
Newark Memorial's impressive league win streak, which spans more than five seasons, is still alive.
"We don't even talk about the streak," Farris said. "We were just thinking about beating Logan tonight. They definitely made us earn it. But we stayed calm down the stretch. We didn't force anything."
The Cougars never seem to force anything with so many weapons.
A handful of players stepped up and dominated during different portions of the game, the least likely being Bayanzai, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, who came off the bench and drilled a three-pointer and a couple driving layups to lead Newark to a 14-4 lead.
"That was a giant boost," Newark Memorial coach Craig Ashmore said.
From a small package.
Logan, like it did all night, didn't waver and behind Isaiah Moore, a rugged and strong 6-foot-4 senior, led the comeback. He finished with a game-high 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. He also got terrific guard help by Howie Manzo (12 points) and Salaimon Siddiq (nine points, four assists)
Moore's spectacular block of a Chris Jones lay-up and ensuing dunk at the other end brought the house down and gave the Colts all the momentum. The Fresno State-bound Jones, a 6-3 senior, was held to eight points.
A tip-in by Zach Smith, a 6-5 senior, gave Logan its second lead, 25-24, heading into the break.
"We didn't back down after they gave us a pretty good shot at the start," Fortenberry said. "That showed me and everyone else a lot."
The second half was a see-saw affair with 11 lead changes and five ties. Farris began heating up in the third quarter with a pair of three-pointers, the latter at the buzzer, giving the Cougars a 42-41 lead.
"I just started feeling it a little more and my teammates got me the ball," Farris said. "We have a lot of guys who can get it done."
It was Logan, however, that got it done early in the fourth with a 7-0 run on a driving layup and three-point play from Moore and fastbreak jumper by Ray Holston, giving the Colts a 48-42 lead with 6:28 left in the game.
But after the teams exchanged buckets, Newark began to take control.
Ezeofor, a 6-6 junior, had a layup sandwiched in between four points from Sankey, a 6-2 forward who made a pretty left-hand layup, to tie the game at 50-50 with 3:31 left.
Then Ezeofor powered home a putback to give Newark its first lead of the fourth quarter, 52-50 with 3:25 left.
Hunter Hayden, a 6-8 senior, immediately gave Logan the lead back on a three-point play off a rebound, but that's the last time the Colts would lead.
Newark tightened the screws defensively and got another putback from Sankey and two free throws by Farris to go up 56-53 with 56.9 seconds remaining.
After another Logan turnover - it had 21 for the game - Farris all but put it away with his pretty hesitation drive and hoop.
The 6-1 senior took a long pass along the Newark sideline. With Ashmore screaming, "bring it out, bring it out," Farris took one dribble toward halfcourt, then busted past a James Logan defender and banked home the bucket, putting the Cougars up 58-53 with 24 ticks left.
"Shows what I know," Ashmore said. "It was one of those `no, no, no, yes, yes, yes,' things. That's why he's on the court and I'm on the bench."
Moore powered home his fourth bucket off the fourth quarter with 6.8 seconds left, but a free throw by Bayanzai presented the final margin.
"The difference between them and now right now is just a little more experience," Fortenberry said. "Their guys have been through the wars down the stretch a little more than our guys. But we're getting there."
Said Ashmore: "I thought we showed great balance throughout but Farris and the sophomore (Sankey) really controlled things the last four minutes.
"That was a great high school basketball game."
Fortenberry, though disappointed, agreed. His team lost its fifth game by a total of 18 points.
"I would have been much happier to win, but we showed we're closing the gap," he said. "Maybe we'll get them next time."
The rematch is Feb. 5 at Newark Memorial.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
MVAL BOYS BASKETBALL
NEWARK MEMORIAL 59, JAMES LOGAN 55
Newark Memorial 14 10 18 17 - 59
James Logan 6 19 16 14 - 55
NEWARK MEMORIAL (15-4, 6-0): Ezeofor 6 1-4 13, Wiley 1 0-0 2, Sankey 4 2-4 10, Farris 3 5-7 13, Jones 2 4-6 8, Bayanzai 5 1-2 13. Totals 21 13-23 59.
JAMES LOGAN (14-5, 4-1): Manzo 4 3-4 12, Hayden 2 1-1 5, Moore 8 2-3 18, Abad 0 1-2 1, Smith 4 0-0 8, Saddiq 4 0-0 9, Holston 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 7-10 55.
3-point goals: Farris 2, Bayanzai, Saddiq, Manzo. Fouled out: none.
