King-Riverside posted a 55-45 win over Serra-San Mateo in the championship game of the Bambauer Memorial Holiday Tournament, led by 15 points from tournament MVP Jordan Robinson.
Robinson scored seven of his team-high 15 points in the first quarter, keeping the Wolves in the game early. Sophomore guard Parker McDonald spurred a hot first quarter for the Padres, who led 19-15 after one, behind 11 first-quarter points from McDonald, who had three three-pointers in the first eight minutes, and finished the game with 22 points. McDonald and junior center Jack Wilson both earned all-tournament honors for Serra.
King, however, used tight defense and a hot second quarter by junior Kazeem Salaam to forge a 30-25 lead by halftime. Salaam had seven of his 10 points in the second quarter. Salaam and Wesley Harris joined Robinson on the all-tournament team for the Wolves.
King slowly pulled away from there, extending its lead to eight points by the end of the third quarter before posting the final 10-point margin of victory. Serra's loss prevented the Padres from repeating their 2015 Bambauer championship, in which they defeated Ayala in the title game.
Heritage second quarter run leads Patriots to victory
Heritage overcame an early 12-point deficit, pulling away from host Marin Catholic for a 78-68 win in the third-place game.
The host Wildcats got off to a strong start in the first quarter, holding Heritage to five points while putting up 17 of their own. Team captains and senior standout performers Brady McCallister and Joey Calcaterra sparked the Wildcats’ offense early with dazzling synergy, including a silky behind-the-back pass from McCallister to a trailing Calcaterra for an easy finish on a fast break. But Heritage responded in the second quarter with a 9-0 run that led to an eventual 34-31 lead at halftime.
Still, McCallister fought to keep things from getting out of hand with two corner three-pointers.
“We fought hard and left it all out there on the court,” McCallister said. "The stiff competition we’ve faced throughout [the Bambauer] is going to pay off during league play.”
And stiff competition it was for the Wildcats. Junior Jonathan Ned led the way for Heritage, with smooth mid-range jumpers and steals leading to fast break lay-ups that arose from the stifling Heritage press, which heated up in the second quarter.
"We came out flat, maybe the emotional effect of losing an overtime game in the semifinals (68-66 to King), but got it back together with the help of our bench and some inspired play from the second quarter on," said Heritage coach Pat Cruickshank. "We were able to hold (Joey) Calcaterra to 32 points after he scored 41 on us last year! And overall, this was just a great tournament for us, with four tough and completely different opponents. Marin Catholic does a great job running one of the best tournaments around, very competitive and well-organized."
Ned led the Patriots with 23 points in the win, including eight in the second quarter. He scored consistently throughout the second half, as did senior Anthony Dennis, who added 22 points in the win. Senior Tyriq Mack scored 16 points to round out the trio of double-digit scorers for Heritage. Ned was named to the all-tournament team.
Calcaterra found his jump shot in the second quarter despite being swarmed by frequent double teams. He did finish with 32 points, putting his four-year Bambauer Classic total at a record 399 points scored in 15 games, an average of 26.6 points per game. Nevertheless, Ned and Heritage proved to be too much for the shorter Wildcats.
“We had to try to limit their second chances,” Wildcat coach Mike Saia said. “We fought hard for our rebounds, but in the end, if their guy is 6’7’’, he’s still going to be 6’7’’ in the fourth quarter when [the Wildcats] energy is at its lowest.”
Saia remained very optimistic about his young team which took down a highly-ranked Modesto Christian team earlier this season. Like Saia, Calcaterra was optimistic about the development of the Wildcats’ young roster, which features four sophomores, including starters Dylan Joyce and Riley Wirth. “Other teams may think we’re inexperienced,” Calcaterra said. “But I’m proud of the way our young players have stepped up against the tough competition we’ve faced this pre-season.”
Calcaterra was named to the all-tournament team for the second straight season.
Miramonte, Drake, Redwood finish tourney with wins
Miramonte took home a victory in the fifth-place game, downing Corona del Mar, 72-65, in overtime, while Drake defeated Huntington Beach for the consolation championship, 73-60, and Redwood downed Lincoln, 61-33, on the final day of play.
Senior forward Charlie Hocking earned a spot on the all-tournament team for Miramonte with 24 points in the win over CDM, as the Matadors overcame a combined 46 points from sophomore Dennis Rodman, Jr., and junior JT Schwartz. Rodman was named to the all-tournament team.
Drake got 27 points from all-tournament selection Noah Bice in the win over Huntington Beach, while Redwood got 17 points from all-tournament selection Charlie Reis in the win over Lincoln.
Prep2Prep content manager Nate Smith and Marin Catholic athletic director Adam Callan contributed information for this report
