SAN FRANCISCO — The Mission Bears didn’t author a masterpiece in the first round of the 61st Riordan Crusader Classic, but considering what they graduated from last year’s NorCal finalists, to post a win over a solid Berkeley squad was an encouraging sign that the program is still strong, even after graduating last year’s three leading scorers.
Point guard Andre Villarino had 16 points and junior forward Julian Neal led the Bears with 17 as they held off a late charge from the Yellowjackets, who got 32 points from Jamir Thomas, to win 69-66.
“These guys are playing hard, but it’s pretty sloppy at this point in the year,” head coach Arnold Zelaya said. “The effort’s there, but we’re not executing really well.”
Leading by nine with less than three minutes left, Mission (1-1) had to hold on for dear life after a slew of turnovers and missed free throws cut the lead all the way to two in the final moments, but the panicked finish shouldn’t erase what was a strong night overall for a team that has had to replace more than half its scoring from last year after graduating Ben Knight, David Sonnier and Jaraughn Torno.
Neal, who spent his freshman year playing on the JV team at Mission before moving to the East Bay last year, announced his return to San Francisco with authority, including a ferocious one-handed dunk to open up a 60-50 lead with four minutes left. He also had a game-high 11 rebounds while Villarino facilitated the game.
“This year, it’s really about being a leader,” said Villarino, whose 3-pointer midway through the third gave the Bears a 40-39 lead after Berkeley (0-1) opened up a five-point advantage. “Over the summer, I’ve developed skills handling the ball, holding the ball and getting stronger.”
With Mission’s run-and-gun style, Villarino typically wasn’t holding the ball for long, but he was able to drive a lightning-quick offense to an early 11-point lead before the Yellowjackets, playing their first game under interim head coach JJ Frazier, found their land legs. Berkeley led 23-19 after a Mahari Thomas layup, but the Bears led at halftime after Neal went coast-to-coast. Two Thomas free throws put the Jackets up five in the third before Mission unleashed a 17-4 run, stretching the lead all the way to 49-41 on a Reggie Torno and-1. Torno, who shadowed his brother’s role as a sophomore, finished with eight while Noah Lee scored 11. Maurice Oliver, called up as a freshman in the middle of the 2018-19 season, started and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Makoa Battson had 10 for Berkeley, including a putback to cut it to 68-64 in the final minute. After two missed Villarino free throws, Thomas scored in transition to get Berkeley within two. Villarino returned to the line with 4.5 left and, after a third straight missed free throw, finally hit one and the Bears emerged with the win after a half-court heave fell well short.
Riordan 67, Mills 19
After allowing three points on technical fouls assessed for dunking in warmups, the Crusaders put up a defensive performance for the ages, not allowing another point until the second half. Riordan (2-0) scored 25 unanswered points before Michael Matsuno, who made three of four technical foul shots to start the game, split a pair of free throws 14 seconds into the third quarter.
Taine DiOro added a layup 41 seconds later, and Mills (0-1) finally found substantial offense in the fourth quarter, where Jaden Tung scored all of his team-high 11 points. 7-foot-1 sophomore Mor Seck led the Crusaders with 12 rebounds, sharing high-point honors with Je’Lani Clark. The native of Senegal and the Nevada commit each finished with 10.
