Wins come in all forms – they come in the form of blowouts, come-from-behind rallies, and holding on for dear life as you see a once-large lead slip away in the final minutes.
For Heritage coach and athletic director Pat Cruickshank, his 300th victory as a head boys’ basketball coach came after a 9:30 am tip-off on Wednesday, as his Patriots opened the Don Bambauer Memorial Holiday Classic at Marin Catholic. It did not come easy, as his team had to shake off a gritty effort from Urban in the opening round, but ultimately pulled away for the 81-55 victory, outscoring the Blues 25-8 in the fourth quarter.
“What really happened was that Urban put up a valiant team effort. They played hard, executed, and hung around,” Cruickshank said. “John Ray (Lerio) picked up the defensive intensity for us in the third quarter, sparked a strong finish to the third, and our huge fourth quarter resulted from that. It was the defense that got us going in transition for some easy looks, and ultimately what really made the difference.”
Senior Jonathan Ned had his usual production in the win over Urban, leading the way with a game-high 28 points, but he was not alone in the scoring. Jacob Williams hit four three-pointers and finished with 14 points, while Charles Stanford and Ezra Manjon rounded out the Heritage players in double figures, with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Last season, Cruickshank guided the Heritage program to its 200th win all-time, and then led the Patriots on a deep post-season run, finishing with a semifinal loss to James Logan in the CIF NorCal Division I playoffs. So far this season, he has Heritage off to an 11-1 start. The Patriots won nine straight games to open the year, including a victory over Logan in the season opener, before falling in overtime to Dublin in the championship game of the Don Nelson Classic. Reaching 300 wins is a testament to both success and longevity, and he made sure to give thanks to those who made it possible.
“I shared it with our team and our staff after the game, and we had a moment together because they have all had a hand in it,” Cruickshank said. “You celebrate things when they happen, but probably more so after the season, because we play right away the next day, and have a full season left to prepare for.”
Indeed, the Patriots did get right back on the court the next day, facing a stout Redwood team in the Bambauer quarterfinals. Heritage made sure that the milestone victory would not be followed with a loss, as they rallied from a halftime deficit to down the Giants, 67-62. The Patriots trailed 36-29 at the half, despite an outstanding first two quarters from Manjon, who had 17 of his game-high 25 points before halftime.
Heritage took a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and then outscored Redwood 21-16 in the final eight minutes. Ned, who had just four points in the first half and none in the first quarter, scored 18 points in the final two quarters. Saleem Mahdi added nine points and Williams contributed seven in the victory.
The win, which upped Cruickshank’s career total to 301, added to what is now part of his 20th season as a head basketball coach. This is his 12th year at Heritage, and is the program’s only coach in school history. Prior to that, he spent six years at San Leandro and two at Liberty, which is the Patriots’ cross-town rival. Despite the current rivalry, those years also remain fond in his memory.
“I had a great time at Liberty as well during those two seasons, and coached a lot of my son’s friends, because that was his graduating class,” Cruickshank added. “That time was a lot of fun, and so is this time right now.”
Now, the Patriots prepare for their next challenge, which is a semifinal game on Friday evening against Central Coast Section powerhouse Serra-San Mateo, who shook off its own slow start to race past Drake on Thursday in the quarterfinals. The winner will play on Saturday for the tournament title against either Marin Catholic or University-San Francisco.
