SAN FRANCISCO — Ever since it was announced in April, Riordan’s matchup with Weston Ranch had been circled as one of the best basketball games of the year in Northern California.
When the teams finally got down to business on Tuesday night, a game the host Crusaders won 84-75 in overtime, it delivered on all the buzz and anticipation befitting a matchup of two teams that’ll head to the Gridley Invitational this weekend and could meet again at the end of the year in the Northern California Open Division.
The back-and-forth battle gave way in overtime as Bryce Monroe absolutely took over for Riordan (5-0), scoring 14 in the extra period, including the game-sealing 3-pointer with a minute to go as he went 3-of-4 from the field and made all seven of his free throws in the added four minutes.
“I was taking good shots that weren’t falling,” the Sam Houston State commit said. “I got comfortable, and then it was time for me to take over and close it out.”
He opened overtime by drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt, made all three of the shots from the line and went coast-to-coast to open up a five-point lead. He made two more free throws after Jordahn Johnson answered by scoring off the glass for the Cougars, then answered another basket from Johnson by driving around a screen from seven-footer Mor Seck for a layup.
Gavin Wilburn, an AAU teammate of both Monroe and Je’Lani Clark, was fouled on the next possession and missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 1:25 left, the only hole in the all-around senior’s game. He led Weston Ranch (0-3) with 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds, but he did go just 5-for-11 at the line.
“It’s fun, but you don’t like playing against him because he plays until the clock hits zero,” Clark said of facing Wilburn. “I love playing with him. He plays really hard.”
On the next possession, Monroe pulled up from NBA range and drained the clinching three, punctuating it with a shimmy as he headed back down the court. Six free throws over the course of the final 40 seconds, including two more from Monroe, created the final margin.
Through regulation, Monroe had 20 points but had to labor for them. In the meantime, Clark scored 21 of his 23 and Seck had nine, along with nine of his 10 rebounds, to counter a balanced Cougars roster that had all five starters reach double-figures. Seck also had four blocks
“My job is to impact the game, not just by scoring but all-around,” Monroe said. “Je’Lani, (Robert Vaihola) and Mor held it down in the first half. I have people to pass it to that I know I can trust.”
Vaihola scored four off the bench and was a key cog in preventing the Cougars from slashing through the middle. His presence helped keep Wilburn and Donjae’ Lindsey out of the middle, and he was especially vital with Dominic Wilson in foul trouble. Wilson picked up his third foul with 2:02 left in the first quarter and a fourth late in the third, but he managed to stick around until the foul on Wilburn with 1:25 left in OT.
“I like battling bigger guys,” Wilson said. “It’s fun to work inside-out.”
Lindsey scored 12 of his 18 in the second half as the Cougars showed off a revamped offense that yielded much better results than their first two games, losses to Dougherty Valley and Dublin. His 3-pointer with four minutes left cut Riordan’s lead to 60-58, and his layup with a minute left made it a one-point game. Clark made one of two at the line with 33 seconds left, but Wilburn found Johnson down low for a game-tying up-and-under layup with 13.9 seconds remaining to tie the game at 66. Clark’s contested off-balance three at the buzzer hit the rim, sending the game to overtime, when Monroe absolutely took over. His excellence in overtime sent the Cougars to their third consecutive loss, but there were plenty of positive signs for head coach Chris Teevan.
“We reeled the team in and our roles became more defined,” the eighth-year head coach said. “I think this is the most productive loss I’ve had in my career. We’ve practiced this offense for a week, and you’re seeing guys play to their strength.”
Perhaps the most striking change to the Weston Ranch offense was getting the ball into the hands of senior guard Titus Haley, who took just five shots on the night but made them all en route to 13 points.
“Our team’s a lot better when he’s aggressive,” Teevan said. “There’s been a couple games where he’s only taken one or two shots, but now he’s gotten aggressive.”
Haley was usually a footnote last year behind Wilburn, Lindsey and Mi’Son Coilton, who scored 11 on Tuesday, but his role is much more visible this year, along with Johnson, a San Leandro transfer who’s jumped in at the low post.
“In the first game, made the mistake of trying to copycat what we did last year,” Teevan added. “We return a lot of the same players, but we’re a different team.”
If the Cougars can get bench scoring, which they had absolutely none of on Tuesday, they’ll be an unstoppable force. With a freshman, Kodey Weary, as their sixth man, there’s plenty of room for further growth. Riordan also used a short bench and relied heavily on veterans, with Seck as the only sophomore to see the floor. Head coach Joey Curtin used just three reserves, getting a Riiny Riiny 3-pointer in the second quarter as part of a run that helped transform the game.
Weston Ranch led for most of the first half, holding a 21-19 advantage after a quarter and going up 26-21 on a coast-to-coast drive by Lindsey, but the Crusaders outscored the Cougars 14-6 over the final six minutes of the half, including a 9-2 run to take the lead into the break after a Seck putback and a 3-pointer by Lee Hubbard III. The advantage was at least five for almost the entire third quarter, with Clark hitting two free throws to make it 51-42 with 1:27 left in the third after getting knocked around by Wilburn. A Coilton three a minute later cut the lead to four, but a 3-pointer from Monroe rattled around and fell through to make it 54-47 going into the fourth.
Haley’s 3-pointer with a defender in his face capped off a quick 5-0 Cougars surge to open the fourth, and a technical foul on Curtin sent Lindsey to the line with 5:40 left after back-to-back calls, including a charge on Monroe, drew the ire of the Riordan coach. A delay of game technical on Seck after a Monroe basket had made it 60-53 earned Lindsey two more free throws, and while he made just one after Curtin’s technical, he drained both on the second go-around. A Lindsey three off a turnover got the Cougars back within two and set up the seesaw finish, one that wasn’t decided until overtime.
The teams could theoretically see each other again this weekend in Gridley, though they’re on opposite sides of the bracket. They’ll also both play at Valley Christian’s Basa-Merza Classic on the 21st, with Weston Ranch facing Branson in the 3:30 game and Riordan taking on Modesto Christian at 6:30. Considering their start to the season, with wins over JSerra, San Ramon Valley and now Weston Ranch, the Crusaders won’t be lacking in confidence over the course of those high-profile games.
“When you pile up wins in a row, the confidence just grows exponentially,” Curtin said. “We believe we’re an elite team.”
Sacred Heart Cathedral 75, Mission 71
The Fightin’ Irish won their home opener in a battle of fast-paced teams missing top players to illness. Herbert Rivas answered the call for Sacred Heart Cathedral (2-0), scoring 20 and pulling down 11 rebounds with Kyle Crawford out sick and Kori McCoy also severely limited. Miles Jones hit five 3-pointers as he scored 18 and sophomore Ray John Spears finished with 14. Mission (1-4) was also shorthanded, playing without Julian Neal (illness) and point guard Andre Villarino (family emergency), but Noah Lee scored 21 to keep the Bears afloat. Sophomore Maurice Oliver finished with 13 while Matt Cohn, Julian Milton and Tariq Norbert each had eight. Cohn had a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bears, who trailed by 11 after three quarters but cut the lead to two with a minute remaining before a clutch basket by Rivas.
St. Ignatius 62, Northgate 57
The Wildcats opened up a 16-point lead, then held on late after a valiant surge from Northgate (2-4). The Broncos got 17 points from Brady Cook, 12 from Dylan Golan and 10 each from Tyler French and Mikey Mainer. Daniel Webster scored a game-high 21 for St. Ignatius (2-2), and the hosts also got 12 from Malcolm McCray-Hill and seven from sophomore GianCarlo Rivera.
St. Francis 70, Milpitas 53
A young and inexperienced Lancers roster opened their season with a win, led by two of their few key returners. Trevor Leon scored 23 and Ryan Daly added 10, while newcomers Isaiah Kerr (14) and Vince Barring (8) also made their mark in their varsity debuts.
Valley Christian 68, Christopher 53
Playing their third game in four days, the Warriors overcame a slow start for their second consecutive road win.
