OAKLAND – Some of the Bay Area’s best again converged at Bishop O’Dowd for the second day of action in the school’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Classic. Mitty and Oakland Tech squared off in the day's first game and set the tone after providing plenty of entertainment value.
Bishop O’Dowd’s second half, Bonner the difference in win over Oakland Tech
Cal-bound Amaya Bonner looked like she was on a mission from the opening tip, tallying six points, eight rebounds, and a block in the first quarter alone. Yet Oakland Tech came to play, and it took a steady performance the rest of the way from the Dragons’ talented senior and a defensive lockdown by the team to put away the Bulldogs, 57-48.
Bonner finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals for Bishop O’Dowd (13-4). Sophomore point guard Savannah Jones chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, and freshman Isabella Williams added another eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. More importantly for O’Dowd, Williams was the one player Oakland Tech faced all weekend who could match up size-to-size and go toe-to-toe with Sophia Askew-Goncalves. The Bulldogs’ big had a tremendous outing against Piedmont a day earlier and was effective in Sunday’s action with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, but not as effective as she was against the Highlanders.
“We started off slow, and then we had to pick it up the second half,” Bishop O’Dowd coach Malik McCord said. “It just didn’t hurt us today like it did against Mitty (on Saturday). The second half we settled down and locked in defensively, and that really changed the game.”
The Dragons trailed 14-10 at the end of one and 27-24 at halftime after closing the second quarter on a 9-2 spurt, much of it fueled by Jones who had nine of her total in the period. In the third, Bishop O’Dowd limited Oakland Tech to just five while scoring 14 themselves, and in the fourth they fended off the Bulldogs’ best efforts to come away with the victory.
“They’re definitely a good, physical team,” Bonner said. “If we needed to get a lead we had to work and get physical back. This team has heart.”
While both teams missed free-throw attempts in one key stretch in the final quarter, Bonner, after converting on a coast to coast layup, sank four freebies in as many chances in ensuing possessions to give O’Dowd a 51-42 cushion. She would have another coast-to-coast layup that made it 53-46 with 1:28 remaining, and Lamya Harrell had two particularly nice assists in the last couple of minutes to help close it out.
“I moved (Bonner) around this season, because she’s so long and tall, and she has such great guard skills, that it’s a mismatch if I do put her inside,” McCord said. “She can play all five positions.”
For Oakland Tech (10-11), Erin Sellers led the way with 13 points. Jala Williams suffered a couple of nasty falls, including one early in the fourth in which she hit her head that sidelined her the rest of the game. O’Dowd held Mari Somvichian, who had 13 against Piedmont, to a goose egg.
Mitty off to the races early, silences Moreau
Moreau Catholic has had a fine season, with an undefeated league mark, a nearly .800 win percentage overall, wins against Valley Christian and Lick-Wilmerding, and relatively narrow losses to Heritage and Bishop O’Dowd. Yet such is the powerhouse of Archbishop Mitty that such teams can look like mere mortals in the blink of an eye.
Archbishop Mitty (21-1) bolted to an 18-0 advantage, led by 29 at the half, and had scoring from 11 different players in a 74-34 trouncing of the Mariners.
The Monarchs’ depth was on full display, as Makayla Moore topped the scoring column with 12, Morgan Cheli had 11, and five additional players had six or more. The second chance opportunities were endless, and Mitty dominated in every facet of the game.
Moreau Catholic (18-5) didn’t stop hustling, and after a modest 12-7 deficit in the second nearly matched Mitty’s 18-point third quarter. Dymonique Maxie led the Mariners with nine.
St. Mary’s-Mt. Eden
In the day’s third and final game, St. Mary’s-Berkeley defeated Mt. Eden 41-30.
The MLK at O’Dowd continues
As on Saturday and with previous editions of this tournament, players from both sides before each game were invited to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a microphone. Before the first game, O’Dowd Class President Selma Apara sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” or the Black national anthem as it’s often referred to. Players spoke about what MLK means to them, their school, and their community. Mitty player Maalia Cherry read a poem.