DALY CITY — Though only one game was decided by single digits, there was no shortage of action and entertainment in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Bud Bresnahan Blue and Gold Classic, Jefferson’s annual early-season tournament.
In what was billed as the marquee game of the evening, University showed far more maturity and composure than one would expect so early in the season, putting together a sterling third quarter to key a 58-45 win over Aragon.
With star guard Max Fried likely out for at least a week after slipping on a wet court that would eventually be ruled unplayable last Friday, the Red Devils entered Thursday evening’s contest with just one returning starter but put together a refined effort to begin their efforts to win the Blue and Gold title for a fourth straight year.
“We’ve got a lot of young players who are going to be good, and our plan was for them to develop as the season goes along,” said head coach Randy Bessolo. “Max being out forced them to develop a lot sooner than we anticipated, and I think a lot of them have really stepped up.”
Point guard Christian Heng, thrusted into a more focal role with Fried’s injury, scored 11 points and ran a crisp offense, particularly in a third quarter where University (2-0) constantly took plays down to the end of the shot clock before finding an open man for an easy layup. The first five baskets of the third quarter came from five different players as the Red Devils came out of the break on an 11-2 run and grew the lead to 14 on consecutive threes by Charley Moore and Raki Cabrera-Scarlata. Aragon (0-2) did get the final basket of the third quarter on an acrobatic move by Sam Manu after receiving a full-court pass.
University didn’t let the Dons generate any momentum heading into the fourth quarter, stretching the lead to as much as 47-32 before Aragon used an 8-2 run to cut the gap to nine on a Jason Mangini 3-pointer. The Red Devils shut the door from there, with Moore scoring four of his team-high 15 in the final minutes.
Heng added 11, fueled by a 7-of-10 performance at the line, while Noah Salah scored nine for the Dons, all in the second quarter. He split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 23 with 1:25 left in the second quarter, but one of Cabrera-Scarlata’s three 3-pointers gave the Red Devils the advantage into the locker room.
Galileo 55, Jefferson 49
Ryan Huang stole the show in the nightcap, with 23 points on 7-of-13 3-point shooting as Galileo (1-1) snapped a four-year streak of losses to the host Grizzlies in the tournament opener.
Huang connected three times from long distance in the first quarter and hit a pair from the corner in the second as part of his 17-point first half, in which he shot 5-for-7 on threes. He scored just two points and shot 1-for-10 in Tuesday’s loss at Terra Nova, but few were surprised by his outburst on Thursday.
“We knew he was a shooter,” said Jefferson head coach John Falabella. “He shot seven quick-shot threes in that game, so I’m not surprised by what he did tonight. A guy who takes quick shots is confident.”
Jefferson (0-1) buckled down in the third quarter and went into the final period trailing just 38-31, but a 14-2 Galileo run to open the final period put the game away. The first four points came from Asa Mobley, Huang hit his final three of the night from the wing and Jason Lei finished the run with a three for his only points of the night. The Grizzlies wouldn’t let things get out of hand, finishing with a 16-3 run, including eight of Marquez Costiniano’s team-high 18 points. Saif Fara, who had a game-high 12 rebounds, hit a spinning 3-pointer as time expired to provide the final margin and finish a point away from a double-double.
Until that late stretch, Galileo was in control, handling Jefferson on the glass despite a height disadvantage. Huang, who stands at 5-foot-8, had a team-high seven rebounds.
“We need to be physical and need everybody to hit the glass,” said coach Jeremy Lee. “We did a much better job of that than we did on Tuesday, and we’re going to need it consistently.”
Mobley scored 12 for the Lions and Kevin Sheehan added seven, including a critical bucket to close the third quarter after answer five quick Jefferson points.
Independence 69, Lowell 56
The first game of the Blue and Gold Classic was a rare meeting between the largest school in San Jose and the largest school from San Francisco, and it was the 76ers who came out on top behind 18 points from Jason Tang and 11 from James Cahiga.
After Lowell (1-1) cut the deficit to four on a 3-pointer by Rishi Raghavan, Cahiga got a friendly roll on a 3-pointer of his own to close the first quarter. Tang finished the third with a deep three to restore a 10-point lead.
Independence (1-0) forced 14 first-half turnovers and also got eight points apiece from Anthony Sanchez and Gilbert Villanueva, using a deep attack to lead by double-digits for almost the entirety of the second half.
Raghavan, a 6-foot-3 combo player, scored a game-high 22 points for the Cardinals, including four 3-pointers. J.T. Reyes, who scored 18, also made four threes as Lowell lost for the first time under head coach Chris Lavdiotis, who had spent 24 years at Piedmont.
St. Mary’s-Albany 91, Washington 54
Washington has a solid point guard in Da’Jon Aranas and a prolific scorer in Jackie Luong, but Rich Buckner’s Panthers have a monster duo in Jason Roche and Damiri Lindo.
Roche scored 27, the most of any player across the four games, behind six 3-pointers, while Lindo added 17. The two combined for 14 points in the opening four minutes as St. Mary’s (1-1) rattled off a 21-0 run to start the game and shake off any frustrations that may have lingered from Tuesday’s season-opening rivalry loss to Salesian.
The Eagles would settle in from there, cutting the lead to 11 with a 10-2 run, and Washington (0-2) would prevent things from going completely haywire until the benches were emptied in the fourth quarter. Luong scored 19, including an excellent stepback three to cut the lead to 30-17 in the second quarter. He also had nine rebounds and shot 9-of-10 on free throws, while Aranas scored 12 of the team’s 14 points in the third quarter.
St. Mary’s had 10 players tally at least five points, with Alhaji Jalloh-Granberry and sophomore Marcus Henderson each chipping in eight. The Panthers dominated the fourth quarter, 29-6, including a 16-0 run in the middle and a 15-6 rebounding advantage. Leo Tillson, a 6-foot-4 junior, pulled down eight boards in the winning effort.
Friday schedule
Consolation bracket:
3:15 p.m.: Washington (0-2) vs. Aragon (0-2)
4:45 p.m.: Lowell (1-1) @ Jefferson (0-1)
6:15 p.m.: University (2-0) vs. St. Mary’s (1-1)
7:45 p.m.: Independence (1-0) vs. Galileo (1-1)
Saturday schedule
2:00 p.m.: 7th place game
3:30 p.m.: 5th place game
5:00 p.m.: 3rd place game
6:30 p.m.: Championship
