A healthy mix of league matchups and nonleague games should make for an exciting end to winter break for players and fans alike.
No. 3 St. Francis (9-2, 1-0 WCAL) at No. 7 Serra (9-2, 1-0), 7:30 pm
Be it football or basketball, every contest between these schools over the past few years has been memorable, and Friday should be no different. Both opened WCAL play with comfortable wins, with St. Francis topping Riordan 65-48 and the Padres picking up a 57-43 road victory to knock Valley Christian from the ranks of the unbeaten. Serra’s always-tenacious defense will have a stiff test, not only with Logan Johnson, but with sharpshooters Oscar Pedraza and Roy Yuan to round out a deep St. Francis lineup that doesn’t get as much mention as it deserves because of Johnson’s star power.
No. 14 Sacred Heart Cathedral (10-1, 1-0 WCAL) at No. 1 Bellarmine (9-2, 1-0), 7:30 pm
SHC’s win over Mitty caught the attention of the entire WCAL, showing that the Irish’s success wasn’t just a product of a soft schedule. Bryce Monroe and E.J. Neal each scored 21 in that 64-60 victory, while Bellarmine beat St. Ignatius in overtime a few miles to the west. Jake Wojcik and Kendall Stubblefield get, and rightfully deserve, tons of attention, but junior Kiran Kruse is stepping into his role as a key part of coach Patrick Schneider’s lineup. On Tuesday, Kruse went 9-of-11 at the line en route to a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Kruse is no stranger to free-throws, as he hit the game-winning shots from the line in an overtime win at rival St. Francis as a sophomore.
No. 2 St. Ignatius (7-4, 0-1 WCAL) at No. 9 Mitty (2-9, 0-1), 7:30 pm
Between Mitty’s series of tight losses to top teams and St. Ignatius’ awful run of injuries, it’ll be a battle of two teams in serious need of a win on Friday night in San Jose. Wrenn Robinson’s heel injury, which he sustained nearly a month ago and aggravated within the past week, adds to an already lengthy Wildcat injury list. SI should be returning to form soon, with Robinson expected back in the next week or two and Neal Begovich nearing his return, but for now, coach Rob Marcaletti’s bench is stretched thin. In Tuesday’s overtime loss to Bellarmine, all six St. Ignatius juniors were unavailable, leaving just nine seniors to play, eight of which got in the game. Those seniors led an impressive 11-point fourth-quarter comeback before ultimately falling in overtime. As grim as things could be for the loser of this game, whoever wins will suddenly have a much brighter disposition heading down the road.
No. 11 Valley Christian (9-1, 0-1 WCAL) at No. 6 Riordan (9-2, 0-1), 7:30 pm
Opening night of WCAL play was a harsh reality for both the Warriors and Crusaders, but both will have a chance to get on the right track on the Crusader Forum’s parquet floor. Riordan and Valley Christian both have potentially explosive offenses that struggled to get going on Tuesday, with Riordan scoring just 11 first-half points and shooting 26% for the game while Valley Christian scored just 19 in the first half.
Monterey (8-4, 1-0 MBL Gabilan) at No. 24 Alisal (12-1, 1-0), 7 pm
The defending Division III Champions should be the toughest test to this point by far for a Trojans team that is perfect on the court (the one loss was posthumously forfeited due to an ineligible player). Josue Gil-Silva is averaging 21.2 points per game for Alisal and Adriano Betancourt is at 17.4, but Monterey’s core of Tahjae Ordonio, Evans Charles and brothers Mohammed and Mohanid Adam will be difficult to stop in what should be a high-scoring affair at Alisal’s “House of Thrills” on Friday night.
San Mateo (7-4) at Jefferson (6-5), 6 pm
As is commonplace in the PAL, teams from the North and South will meet on the final Friday before league play begins. Jefferson put up one of its best performances of the year in Thursday’s overtime loss to Lick-Wilmerding, with Westmoor transfer Marquez Costiniano playing a major role in his first game for the Grizzlies. Costiniano scored six points and was a constant threat on defense as Jefferson pushed the 13-1 Tigers to the brink. San Mateo has one of its best teams in nearly 15 years, with senior shooter Viraj Chadha leading the way in scoring and 6’3 Antonio McGurk creating matchup problems for defenses with his ability to score from all over. 6’4 forward Jake Jeffries is typically good for double-digit rebound totals, a much-needed weapon for a program that has historically struggled on the glass in the past decade.
No. 21 Mountain View (9-4, 0-1 SCVAL De Anza) at No. 22 Wilcox (7-5, 0-1), 7:45 pm
With Wilcox coming off a blowout loss to Los Gatos and Mountain View getting silenced by Los Altos’ defense, both teams will be coming into play Friday desperately searching for a win to stay afloat in a league dominated by two giants. Sam Tobin (12.6 ppg) and Manul Mosley (11.6 ppg) have led a Mountain View team that looks far better than anticipated after graduating do-it-all star Eugene Liao, while Franchon and Deshawn Butler lead the way for Wilcox.
No. 20 Cupertino (9-4, 0-1 SCVAL De Anza) at Los Altos (8-5, 1-0), 7:45 pm
The start of league play was a harsh reality for the Pioneers, who were dealt a 63-31 beatdown by Palo Alto. Los Altos has emerged as a dark horse behind the talents of Jake Shab and Pomona commit Matt Eberle. The Eagles have played unbelievable defense as of late, holding five of six opponents under 40 points with the only exception being Berkeley, which beat Los Altos on a buzzer-beater at the Aptos Invitational. To hold even one team under 30 points is remarkable, but Los Altos beat Gunn 39-20 and Aptos 46-17 in December.
Eastside College Prep (10-1, 0-1 WBAL) at No. 5 Menlo (8-1, 1-0), 6:30 pm
An unintimidating nonleague schedule kept the Panthers’ off most people’s radars through December, but losing to Woodside Priory by just three points is a sign that Eastside can make some noise in a WBAL that’s crowded past the top dogs. Eastside will face those top dogs on Friday, traveling to take on a Menlo team that made quick work of Pinewood earlier in the week. Joe Foley and Riley Woodson are undoubtedly great players, but the one who may determine just how far Menlo can go could be 6’7 sophomore Cole Kastner. Watch for his development throughout the season to help get an idea of where Menlo ranks among the section’s elite.
Mt. Eden (6-7) at No. 12 Menlo-Atherton (4-4), 3:30 pm
Fans looking to catch a game on Friday afternoon before heading to a marquee evening contest should head to M-A, where the Bears will take on a Mt. Eden team led by former Woodside and Sacred Heart Cathedral coach Darrell Barbour. Like many of Barbour’s teams at SHC, Mt. Eden is full of young, promising talent, headlined by Armando Cole Jr., a 5’10 sophomore guard Menlo-Atherton has the talent to play with anyone, but a simple matter of getting the ball in the hoop can prove to be the Bears’ undoing. They’ve averaged just 53.3 points per game so far on the season, and will hope to avoid showing signs of rust in their first competition in two weeks. Mt. Eden puts up similar scores, averaging 54.6 points per game.
