OAKLAND, CA – In the biggest draw of the weekend in Bishop O’Dowd’s first inaugural MLK Classic, the host school battled Windward relentlessly and nearly overtook the Wildcats before eventually losing in overtime, 77-71.
Windward junior point guard and elite prospect Charisma Osborne scored all but eight of her game-high 27 points in either the fourth quarter or the extra period, and finished the game with nine rebounds, five steals, four assists, and two blocks.
Kaiyah Corona had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Windward (11-3), which came into the game ranked 6th in the state by MaxPreps. Zakiya Mahoney put up the same figures for Bishop O’Dowd (6-9), while Jada Holland chipped in 14 points, seven assists, and four boards.
“I was just proud of our young squad coming out and showing that they’re improving and had a chance to win the game,” Bishop O’Dowd coach Malik McCord said. “(Windward) deserved to win that game. They’re experienced. Jada was on the bench [due to foul trouble]. Osborne took over.”
“I knew this was going to be a good contest for us,” Windward coach Vanessa Nygaard commented. “This is a great event he’s putting on. We feel lucky to participate.”
In a game that was physical and very intense from the start, the Dragons jumped out to 12-3 lead. Windward responded with a 7-0 run, and another run at the end of the second resulted in the Wildcats’ first lead of the game – with just eight seconds to go until halftime.
In the fourth, O’Dowd held a 60-57 advantage with just under three minutes to play. Osborne took over via the free throw line, sinking a pair to put her team up one with 1:42 to go, then hitting one of two on each of three additional pairs. The latter of these came in the waning seconds to give Windward a two-point cushion after O’Dowd’s Kennedy Johnson scored inside in what seemed like a case of too little, too late.
After Osborne’s free throw made it 64-62, the Windward bench received a technical for calling a timeout when they had none remaining; sophomore Jenna Kilty, who only had a three-pointer to her credit, calmly made both foul shots to send the game into overtime.
The Dragons led 68-67 when Osborne converted a three-point play, her second of the extra period. Windward scored the next couple buckets, including another field goal by Osborne and a three by Sela Kay, and Bishop O’Dowd was unable to recover.
“She can contribute on all facets of the game,” Nygaard said of Osborne. “Her potential is pretty limitless.”
“We really didn’t have any pressure,” Holland said. “It was pressure on them to beat us. To be a young team and play against a team with that much experience and talent is hard. It was just come in and leave it all on the floor.”
Kay finished with nine points and McKayla Williams added eight for Windward, while Lexi Love added 12 for Bishop O’Dowd.
While the game provided plenty of drama and saw players vying fiercely for possession, afterwards tensions melted away as both teams sported tournament shirts and lined up together for a photo. Bishop O’Dowd has played in the St. Mary’s Stockton MLK Showcase in recent years, but McCord was able to bring a dream of his own – a showcase in Oakland – to fruition after three years.
“It just so happened that now especially in today’s time there’s so much divisiveness,” McCord stated. “When you see the pictures, when you give the acknowledgement, and just remembering what this is all about, it’s bigger than basketball. I wanted the kids to recognize that, the schools bought in right off the top, and the coaches were all on the same page. Everyone was working hard to make this successful."
Before tip-off, players from each side read a selection to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. Daylee Dunn treated the crowd to an original poem.
“My teammate Kayla said it was a democracy,” Holland added. “She’s bringing stuff that’s happening right now. And then Daylee wanted to write a poem of what she really felt, that this is not just basketball. A lot of teams think ‘Let’s just have a tournament because it’s that time of the season.’ Our tournament was really for unity. To really show that all these different people can come along together and play as one. It’s not about separate schools, separate this, separate that. Just go out and do what you love to do.”
Other Saturday games at the MLK Classic
Zion Gabriel scored 24 points as Eastside College Prep had no trouble dusting off Oakland Tech, 61-30. Kayla Tahaafe added 10 and Amira Brown nine for the Panthers (11-4). Tiffany Siu led the Bulldogs (7-7) with 18 and Rakyha Reid chipped in nine.
“I thought they played hard,” Eastside Prep coach Donovan Blythe said. “I was able to play everyone and that was great. Malik is one of my guys. He used to participate in all my programs that I ran. To be able to be part of something that he’s doing, something like this, is awesome.”
In the opener, a matchup of Vikings, Edison-Stockton routed Valley-Sacramento, 73-28.
Monday’s schedule
10:00 Modesto Christian vs. St. Mary’s-Berkeley
12:00 Bishop O’Dowd vs. Edison
2:00 Woodside Priory vs. Brookside Christian
4:00 Heritage vs. Sacramento
6:00 Mt. Eden vs. Eastside Prep
