With a combined record of 26-4 entering tomorrow night’s matchup to start Bay Valley Athletic League play, intra-district and cross-town rivals Heritage and Liberty find themselves in unprecedented territory, sporting the best combined record ever between these two schools heading into a meeting with one another.
In fact, the three-site high school district boasts a combined record of 36-7 through non-league play when you add Freedom to the mix. The Falcons are our third-ranked team in the section, and are 10-3 after playing a difficult schedule to open the season.
That makes this BVAL opener critical to both Heritage and Liberty if either school has designs on hanging a league championship banner this winter. Add in the fact that this week is host Heritage’s Big Blue Madness week, and it is sure to be a capacity crowd at the Brentwood campus on American Avenue.
“We expect it to be a battle down to the wire,” said Heritage coach Pat Cruickshank. “It should be a great crowd on both sides, and exactly what you want to see in a high school basketball game.”
Last year’s game at Heritage was decided by a turn-around bank shot from forward James Ned, giving the Patriots a dramatic 52-51 win to complete the regular season, which spurred the capacity home crowd to pour onto the court in celebration. Ned had 21 points in a win over Vintage-Napa last week.
The tempo of this game could easily decide the outcome. Heritage runs an up-tempo pressing defense, looking to get as many defensive deflections and baskets in transition as possible, preferably pushing the score into the 80’s. Liberty can certainly play up-tempo, but would prefer to force the host Patriots into playing a half-court game on both ends, and eliminate the effectiveness of the Heritage press. Look for turnovers and fast break points to be a large factor in this game.
Moreau depth powering Mariners’ attack . . . With four players averaging double figures, Moreau Catholic will no doubt be giving headaches to MVAL opponents looking to find key defensive stops against the Mariners.
The Division I-bound quartet of Damari Milstead, Terrell Brown, Oscar Frayer, and Brandon Lawrence are all seemingly taking turns stepping up as top scorers on any given night, with Frayer’s prowess on the boards also shining through against top competition.
Brown, the San Jose State commit, has poured in 46 points over the last two games, wins over Irvington and Mission San Jose. Milstead, who has offers to half a dozen Division I schools, scored 16 in each of the last two wins, but has also been leading the team in assists, and posted a double-double against Irvington. He also had 19 points in a big win over Windward-Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Brandon Lawrence, a Fresno State commit, has been averaging double figures, and Oscar Frayer, who has offers from Cal and Grand Canyon, led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds against Windward. Frayer also had one of the most impressive individual performances in the section this season when he went for 18 points and 22 rebounds in a win over Denver East.
“It certainly helps when you have five guys that on any given night can give you 10 to 20 points,” said Moreau Catholic coach Frank Knight. “It takes the pressure off having a ‘go to’ guy and allows you to trust in the offense and our system.”
The Mariners are also blasting the myth that top basketball teams need to be comprised of year-round, single-sport athletes. The team’s depth includes standout running back Jullen Ison, who has scored in double-figures against both Douglas-Nevada and Mission San Jose, all-league defensive back Alex Johnson, all-section outside linebacker Hadari Darden, and Kenry Jourdan, who was the backup quarterback last fall for the successful football program.
Marin County mess . . . Two weeks into league play, and the MCAL standings are already a logjam. With Marin Catholic’s 67-65 win over Redwood on Tuesday, there are no more unbeaten teams, and six teams are within one game of the league lead. The big game tomorrow is San Marin at Drake, with both teams currently tied with Redwood for the league lead.
Jaguars, Knight off to fast NBL start . . . With decisive victories over second-place teams Santa Rosa and Cardinal Newman in the last week, Windsor has established itself as the team to beat in the North Bay League this season. Leading the charge is senior Gabe Knight, whose recent performances include a 27-point, 10-rebound against the Cardinals.
De La Salle set to host MLK Classic . . . This coming Monday features the MaxPreps MLK Classic at De La Salle, a marquee event which includes seven games over the course of the day. Action begins at 10 am, when NCS #21 Albany faces off against NCS #9 Newark Memorial, who recently downed Capital Christian. That game is followed by Manteca, who defeated Freedom in a close battle two weeks ago, facing NCS #6 Berkeley.
A North Coast Section team is featured in each of the seven games. Fifth-ranked Salesian faces CCS #11 Sacred Heart Cathedral in the 1 pm game, followed by NCS #16 El Cerrito facing The Albany Academy from New York at 2:30 pm. Sacramento and second-ranked Moreau Catholic is a marquee attraction in the 4 pm slot, followed by Orange Lutheran and the section’s top ranked team, De La Salle, at 5:45 pm.
Bishop O’Dowd and the top-ranked CCS team, St. Francis, face off in the 7:30 pm nightcap.
