California: Stingy St. Mary's remains perfect

By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com

ALBANY, Calif. - Bringing the ball up court against the St. Mary's (Albany) boys basketball team is about as pleasant as dealing with airport security. . In an insect-infested jungle. . In the heart of summer. . With no sunscreen or bug repellent.  

Kennedy (Richmond), the state's 30^th-ranked team with a sterling 14-1 record coming in, never looked nearly comfortable, fluid or in synch as the Panthers improved to 16-0, 3-0 in Bay Shore Athletic League action with a convincing 60-45 BSAL victory on Tuesday night.

St. Mary's, the state's No. 14 team according to MaxPreps, seemed to bump, contest and generally bother every Kennedy move, pass and shot while forcing 29 turnovers and 27 percent shooting (15 of 55).

The Eagles (14-2, 1-2), losers of two straight, led just once 4-2 but on eight straight possessions had a chance to take a 12-11 lead after the game's leading scorer Jonathan Williams (19 points) made a layup with 2:03 left in the first quarter cutting St. Mary's lead to 11-10.

But Kennedy missed 11 straight shots, six from "bunny" range and the score remained that way 2:30 into the second quarter.

"If you can't convert in the paint against that team you're in for a long night," Kennedy coach Michael Booker said.   

The scoreless streak went on another four painstaking minutes for the Eagles, who finally couldn't slow the relentless St. Mary's attack.

The Panthers scored 12 straight in that four-minute span and Kennedy never recovered.

St. Mary's, led by 18 points, seven rebounds and seven steals from 6-foot-3 junior guard Chris Brew and 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks by super 6-4 sophomore Dominique Lee, eventually extended the lead to as much as 18 and the Eagles never got within six points.

Lee had a pair of layups and pretty assist during the 12-0 run, UC-Santa Barbara-bound Will Brew (nine points, seven steals) added a putback and two free throws, and Chris Brew and Marcus Semien swooped in for a pair of fast break hoops.

Despite making just 10 of 38 shots in the first half (26 percent), the Panthers took a 26-17 lead into halftime and lengthened it to as much as 40-22 on the second 3-pointer of the second half by Aalim Moor (nine points).  

"We're not the best shooting team but we always make up for it with defense," said 6-3 senior Will Brew. "Those guys had some really talented players and we just tried to take them out of their comfort zone."

It was downright excruciating for Booker to watch.

The fifth-year head coach, who's done a superb job turning the Eagles around both on the court and in the classroom as reported Tuesday by Contra Costa Times reporter Robert Jordan, said his team played hard to stay in the game and get in position to score.

But even with 6-7 guard Williams, who came in averaging 27.9 points per game, and 6-5 guard Marvin Boadu (14 points), who came in averaging 18.3, backing into the block and getting numerous inside looks, the Panthers just bumped, pushed and swatted enough to make the Eagles miss.

And miss.

And miss.

"The bottom line is they totally outplayed us in every facet," Booker said. "They were more intense, more physical and played like they wanted it more."

Then again, that's how the Panthers always play.

That's why they're 16-0.

St. Mary's coach Manny Nodar isn't ashamed to say his team rarely looks flawless in offensive sets. But they look like world-beaters when the opposition has the ball.

"I wouldn't want to play against us for 32 minutes," Nodar admitted. "Our game plan was to not let (Kennedy) beat us down low. We had to be tough, play the passing lanes and contest everything. That's what we did. That's what we do."

Even at practice. While most teams run their offense into the ground, the Panthers grind it up on the defense end.

Nodar summed up a typical practice like this: "First we work on fastbreak offense, then fastbreak defense, then we play half-court defense and at the end we practice halfcourt (offensive) sets.

"We probably need to work a little more on that (halfcourt sets) in the future."

Why fix what isn't broke?

The Panthers were 29-5 last year and returned the main core led by the Brew brothers, the teams' leading scorers, rebounders and defenders.

They added the Lee twins, Dominique and Demetrius, a pair of athletic and long sophomores, and Moor has developed into one of the East Bay's better point guards and a Division I prospect.

Dominique Lee is a strong interior presence and appears utterly prepared to take over any game. Unlike most sophomores who bow to older players, Lee is fearless and attacks on both ends of the court.

"He gives them a whole other dimension," Booker said. "He's a real force down there."

Along with Modesto Christian, the Panthers appear to be the Northern California Division IV favorites to face off against defending state and Southern California champion Campbell Hall (North Hollywood) in the state championship game.

"Whoa," Nodar said. "That's a long way off. We take nothing for granted."

The BSAL alone is going to be a tough road.

Arch rival Salesian (Richmond) is 11-1 and on Friday fought back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off Kennedy, 72-66. If Kennedy can take care of the ball and just convert down low with Williams and Boadu, they could give the Panthers fits as well.

"We'll definitely be better prepared and make some adjustments next time we play," Booker promised.

Said Nodar, whose team's average margin of victory coming into Tuesday's game was 29 points: "We hadn't been contested for a while and that was a big challenge for us. It's going to be even tougher next time. Mike will definitely make adjustments."

The BSAL, which also features solid programs in St. Joseph (Alameda), the 2004 state D-IV and 1991 and 1992 D-I state champs with Jason Kidd, and Piedmont. That should help toughen up the Panthers once the North Coast Section playoffs arrive.

"Winning the North Coast (Section) is going to be tough enough, let alone getting to state," Nodar said. "But I predict whoever comes out of the North will give the South a run this year."

That hasn't been the case lately.

Last year Campbell Hall, led by current senior star and UCLA-bound Jrue Holiday, won by 36 over Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa). In 2005 Campbell Hall knocked off St. Mary's by 21.

With the way the Panthers swarm on defense, play the passing lanes and slice to the basket this year, it's hard to imagine any team running away from them.

They've also shown spurts of shooting well from the perimeter. St. Mary's made four 3-pointers on Tuesday and in a semifinal win over University City (San Diego) at the Surf `N Turf Tournament, Will Brew drilled eight 3-pointers including four straight in the second quarter.

"If we can connect from the perimeter we'll be tough to beat," Nodar said.

The Panthers look tough to beat no matter what.

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.