With many leagues at or approaching the halfway point, this week’s top games are mainly comprised of teams either meeting for the first time that have already played the rest of their league opponents or teams that met at the start of January and are kicking off the second half of league play.
No. 1 Riordan (13-4, 6-1 WCAL) @ No. 10 St. Francis (10-7, 2-5), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
A rematch of a 30-point blowout that was 25-5 after one quarter usually wouldn’t merit much attention, but the Lancers are picking it up with Oscar Pedraza and Maurice Wilmer returning to health. They’ve won two straight, plus Riordan hasn’t won in Mountain View since 2014. Still, the Crusaders have dominated the first half of WCAL play, with one particularly bad five-minute stretch causing their only loss and one other close call. Riordan’s depth has been particularly impressive, with a variety of weapons coming off the bench. It’s far more than just Je’Lani Clark and Bryce Monroe dominating each night for the league leaders.
No. 3 Bellarmine (13-4, 4-3 WCAL) @ No. 8 St. Ignatius (8-9, 4-3), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
With Saturday’s loss to St. Francis and a series of difficult road games looming, SI would be in serious trouble on Wednesday if the Bells win a seventh consecutive meeting between the two. Having gone 4-6 in nonleague play, the Wildcats need to reach .500 in the WCAL in order to ensure a trip to the playoffs. With their offensive difficulties and a Bellarmine team that has allowed just two WCAL opponents over 53 points, it could make for a tough matchup. Neal Begovich will need to step up against Constantijn Cole, Ryan Kiachian and the rest of Bellarmine’s post players, who cause problems with their physicality.
No. 22 King’s Academy (10-6, 5-1 WBAL) @ No. 14 Menlo (11-5, 5-1), Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
After a slow start to the year, King’s Academy has gone on a roll after integrating football players into the system, and Tuesday’s Knights vs. Knights game to round out the first half of WBAL play will help break the tie atop the standings, as four teams currently have one loss. As for Menlo, Monday’s MLK loss to Alameda was an encouraging performance, considering that the Knights lost by just four to the guard-heavy Hornets behind 26 points and 13 rebounds from Cole Kastner.
No. 2 Mitty (11-6, 5-2 WCAL) @ No. 12 Sacred Heart Cathedral (9-8, 2-5), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
A down-to-the-wire matchup the first time around, the Irish and Monarchs have been trending in opposite directions since their January 2 meeting, with SHC finally snapping a five-game losing streak with Saturday’s win over Valley Christian. This matchup could play well into a guard-heavy Irish team’s hands, though, with Cedric Reed Jr. and freshman Ray John Jackson getting opportunities against skilled opponents in Marcus Greene and Devan Sapp. While most teams play small lineups to counter Mitty, SHC’s 6-foot-8 Oscar Cheng is able to move well enough to keep up with smaller foes and could be a serious obstacle for the visitors.
No. 23 Sacred Heart Prep (8-8, 5-1 WBAL) @ No. 25 Eastside College Prep (7-6, 4-1), Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Eastside has emerged as a dark horse in the WBAL race behind three-year starter Isaiah Saams-Hoy, with last week’s one-point win over King’s Academy turning heads. SHP also got everyone’s attention by beating Menlo two Fridays ago, and though the Gators did lose Saturday’s MLK game at Piedmont, Brendan Carney is finding his stroke, scoring 24 in that loss with four 3-pointers and an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line.
No. 7 Mountain View (15-2, 5-0 SCVAL De Anza) @ Homestead (11-6, 3-2), Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Mountain View is set to wrap up the first half of league play after a three-game week, one that included an outrageous defensive effort in a 65-23 win at Los Altos. Homestead also knows a thing or two about defense, having only allowed 55+ points twice so far against De Anza opponents. That’ll be difficult to keep up against Sam Tobin, who put 31 on Palo Alto and 27 on Los Altos.
No. 4 Serra (12-5, 4-3 WCAL) @ No. 15 Valley Christian (10-7, 1-6), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
The first week of WCAL play was a brutal one for the Warriors, starting with a 76-39 loss to Serra, but Valley Christian has recovered since then and lost a pair of one-point games last week, including one to a St. Ignatius team that beat Serra earlier in the month. D’Von Lang and Skylar Loving-Black have become acclimated to the hardwood after strong football seasons and figure to be key factors on Wednesday as the Warriors look for their first win over Serra since 2005.
Palma (10-7, 2-1 PCAL Gabilan) @ No. 6 Monterey (14-2, 2-0), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Monterey beat the Chieftains by 11 at last month’s Joe Schram Holiday Classic, but Palma is playing well as of late. Until Monday’s loss to Carmel, what had been a very offensively challenged team early in the year put up 60+ points in three consecutive games, capped off by Friday’s surprising win over Alisal. Monterey now stands alone in first in the league after beating Carmel on Friday.
Half Moon Bay (11-6, 4-1 PAL North) @ Jefferson (10-7, 4-1), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.
First place in the PAL North is at stake as the Cougars and Grizzlies meet for the first time this season. Last year’s meetings were each won by the home team as the two shared the North Division title. Jefferson lost to Terra Nova and HMB wiped the Tigers off the court on Friday, but Jefferson’s loss came without point guard Marquez Costiniano, who was sick but returned for Friday’s win at Westmoor.
St. Francis SCP (11-3, 2-1 PCAL Mission) @ Pacific Grove (10-6, 3-0), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
With five sophomores and a freshman on the roster, a young PG team sits as the lone unbeaten member of the PCAL Mission Division after taking advantage of a shorthanded Alvarez team earlier in the month. St. Francis suffered a surprising loss to San Benito on Friday, whereas the Breakers have won three in a row.
