With Sheldon’s withdrawal from the state tournament, there are 13 games to be played on Saturday night. Even with the loss of one of the most amped-up matchups around, there’s still no shortage of great basketball to be played.
Open Division
No. 3 Bishop O’Dowd (22-7) @ No. 2 Mitty (23-4), 8 p.m.
What should already be an enormous crowd at Mitty may have just gotten even bigger with Dublin’s confirmed advancement into the semifinals as a product of Sheldon’s withdrawal. It’s likely that the Gaels coaching staff and team will be in attendance to scout as the Monarchs try to find a way to stop Bishop O’Dowd freshman sensation Jalen Lewis, whose 6-foot-8 frame and ability to score from anywhere on the floor is a nightmare of a matchup.
Division I
No. 4 De La Salle (24-7) @ No. 1 Riordan (23-5), 6 p.m.
Riordan’s fast-paced play and constant drives to the rim will be a stark contrast with De La Salle’s patience and tendency to run the shot clock down into the final 10 seconds. Teams that lean heavily on their defense, such as Capital Christian and Serra, have given the Crusaders trouble all year. Saturday night could also be an opportunity to see an ultra-rare event as the Spartans might consider zone defense, which, under normal circumstances, is about as likely as the North Korean government allowing its citizens to watch American news channels.
No. 7 Campolindo (24-6) @ No. 3 Salesian (25-6), 7 p.m. at Albany HS
The Cougars and Pride already squared off back in December at the Gridley Invitational, where Salesian overcame a 14-point halftime deficit for a 76-71 win in the tournament semifinals. Campolindo’s offense has vastly improved since then, with Emmanuel Callas rounding out his game and scoring 33 in Thursday’s victory at Capital Christian. Replicating that feat against Salesian will be a difficult task. The Pride allowed just four points in the first quarter of their win over Grant on Thursday.
Division II
No. 9 St. Mary’s-Stockton (25-9) @ No. 4 Weston Ranch (22-12), 6 p.m.
A crosstown rivalry that should draw a massive crowd to Weston Ranch will be the final home game in the careers of Jordahn Johnson and Gavin Wilburn, who will have an opportunity to try to put an end to the careers of Grant Jory and Jamar Marshall. After scoring 15 in a road win at Clovis North, Marshall dropped 34 on Thursday in a rout of Whitney.
No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep (23-5) @ No. 2 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (24-10), 6 p.m.
The Gators and Bruins met all the way back on Dec. 5 at the Riordan Crusader Classic, a game SPSV won without Jalen Scott, who was injured at the time. A young SHP team that starts two sophomores has only gotten better since then, and with Everett Banks declared eligible in January after transferring back to the school, they’ve also become far deeper.
Division III
No. 16 Wood (25-7) @ No. 4 St. Mary’s-Albany (24-10), 7 p.m.
Will Saturday be the night Wood center Landon Seaman finally meets his match? Leo Tillson has been excellent in the Panthers’ two wins thus far, and if he has a third consecutive strong game, it may put an end to what’s been a stellar run for a Wildcats team that’s proven a 16 seed was absolutely ludicrous. Defense has been Wood’s calling card, allowing a total of 83 points in two wins this week, but replicating that against Tillson and sharpshooter Jason Roche will be a mammoth challenge.
No. 11 Foothill (27-5) @ No. 7 Carmel (25-4), 6 p.m.
After beating Marin Catholic 56-53 and St. Ignatius 59-42 earlier in the week, expect the Padres to be in a far higher-scoring game on Saturday night against a Foothill team that can match Carmel’s transition offense. Both teams have the ability to light up the scoreboard in a game that should be well worth the long trip for both the Cougars and their supporters.
Division IV
No. 3 University (24-8) @ No. 2 Lincoln (28-4), 6 p.m.
The Red Devils and Mustangs met on Dec. 20, a 56-49 Lincoln win in which freshman Jeremyah Aquino launched a blitzkrieg from 3-point range. Since then, University has made colossal improvements, as evidenced by a 10-0 run through BCL West play. While both teams have tremendous stars leading the way, with the three Aquino brothers for Lincoln and Charlie Kennedy at the center of everything for University, both also have excellent depth that shouldn’t be overlooked.
No. 8 Brookside Christian (25-8) @ No. 4 Hoover (24-9), 6 p.m.
Geronimo De La Rosa had 24 points and eight rebounds on Thursday to extend the life of the Brookside Christian program, but if he’s going to have another excellent game in Fresno, he’s going to have to deal with Jamar Bowers, who had a game-winning block on Thursday as the Patriots picked up their second two-point win in a row. While the Knights’ program is coming to an end in the coming week as the school shuts down operations at the end of the year, things are just getting started for Hoover freshman Z.J. Cotton, who averaged 11.8 points per game in the regular season.
Division V
No. 5 Eastside (21-7) @ No. 1 Pierce (27-4), 6 p.m.
Playing in the NorCal semifinals for the second year in a row, the Panthers will head up to Arbuckle to take on the top-seeded Bears. While many of the folks traveling up to Colusa County from the Bay Area may not be familiar with Arbuckle, it’s hard to miss: the town is split by Highway 5.
No. 3 San Domenico (19-12) @ No. 2 Bradshaw Christian (20-13), 6 p.m.
Last year, Bradshaw Christian went just 10-19. San Domenico, in its second year of varsity basketball, went winless in league play. Come Saturday night, the two will clash with a berth in a NorCal championship game on the line. The Pride have a pair of common opponents with the Panthers, having played Stuart Hall in December at the Redwood Classic and losing by three in the championship game. San Domenico split a pair of regular season meetings with the Knights but lost the rubber match in the BCL West Tournament. Bradshaw Christian also has a head-scratcher of a loss to Marin Academy from the Windsor Holiday Tournament, a team the Panthers had minimal trouble with in league play.
Division VI
No. 4 Ferndale (20-11) @ No. 1 Weed (22-4), 6 p.m.
The North Coast Section Division 6 champion Wildcats will hit the road to take on the Northern Section Division VI champion Cougars. Emmitt Albee scored 30 in Ferndale’s win over Stockton Christian on Wednesday, just five fewer points than the Cougars allowed in the entirety of their win over South Fork.
No. 3 Fall River (24-6) @ No. 2 Ripon Christian (24-7), 6 p.m.
Fall River allows just 42.4 points per game, but cousins Jacob and Braden Van Groningen combined for 38 all by themselves in Ripon Christian’s blowout win over California School for the Deaf in the quarterfinals. Slowing those two will be imperative if the Bulldogs want to avenge a 2018 semifinal loss to the Knights, an 86-56 romp.
