In a battle of top 25 NCS-ranked teams, it was Branson who stayed unbeaten this year with a big 44-38 win over Acalanes, on Thursday night in the opener of the Damian Lillard Classic.
The Bulls, who entered the week ranked 22nd in the Prep2Prep NCS rankings, used a big first half to take down the Dons, who entered the week ranked eighth after finishing as the runner-up in the Amador Valley Tournament and winning the San Rafael Tournament.
Branson, who improved to 7-0, bolted to a 25-13 lead at the half, and held from there in the second half. The Bulls now face Oakland on Friday night. Acalanes fell to 5-2 and faces Monte Vista Christian on Friday.
Around the horn
Amador Valley improved to 7-1 with a 60-47 win over Mt. Eden on Thursday night, the third straight win for the Dons.
6-foot-8 senior center KC Tompkins led the way with 22 points, for the 11th-ranked team in the NCS entering this week.
Liberty started strong in the West-Tracy Holiday Tournament, as senior post Ben Smith scored 28 points to lead the Lions to a 62-46 win over Patterson. The Lions face Castlemont on Friday in the semifinals.
Clear Lake bolted to a 16-point lead at halftime, and cruised to the 57-34 win over Sonoma Academy on Thursday. Senior Tanner Hutton led the Cardinals with 19 points, with Lucas Stahr had eight points to go with a game-high nine rebounds.
Mendocino got a huge night from senior Nakai Baker, who had a half-dozen three-pointers among his 35 points in the Cardinals' 72-50 win over Ferndale. Junior Cody Call added 16 points and senior Cole Duncan finished with 13 points, as Mendocino improved to 7-2 this season.