PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif. — With center David Ajanaku-Makun in early foul trouble and Eastside center Raymond Reece grabbing every rebound in sight, Tuesday afternoon could have been a nightmare for the Woodside Priory Panthers.
Even with all Reece did, with 19 points and 24 rebounds, the hosts allowed just three points in the third quarter and took care of business down the stretch for a 48-39 win to remain in third in the West Bay Athletic League and stay on the inside track to a top seed in the CCS Division V bracket.
Zach Zaffran scored 15 of his game-high 24 in the second half as Woodside Priory (14-6, 7-3 WBAL) took the lead for good on his and-1 with 5:58 left in the third and wouldn’t allow a field goal until a David Haines lay-in nearly six minutes into the second half. The hosts held a 12-3 advantage in the third quarter, and even when Eastside (13-6, 4-6) would get a basket from Reece to start the fourth, Priory responded with the next five, including a Zaffran three and Walker Rust layup off an assist from freshman guard Tayo Sobemehin.
“We wanted to make sure that Zach was a focal point and get him the ball. He had to be aggressive,” head coach David Moseley said of the strategy in the second half. “Sometimes he becomes a little too much of a facilitator, and when we bring Taio in, he’s able to play off the ball and we’re able to set some screens for him.”
Haines would score all of his eight in the second half to keep the visitors, also named the Panthers, close, cutting the lead to 39-34 before Zaffan hit the last and deepest of his three 3-pointers. He’d also make a pair of free throws with 24.4 seconds left to ice the game, ensuring that Reece’s titanic efforts would come in defeat.
The 6-foot-5 junior center had 14 points and 14 rebounds by the break as the teams went into halftime tied 20-20. Eastside closed the first on a 9-0 run to take a 14-10 advantage and led 20-16 late in the second on a Reece putback before Rostand Olama Abanda, a boarding student from Cameroon, and Zaffran got the final points of the half.
“One of our mantras is no double-digit scorers for the first half, no 20-point scorers for the game,” Moseley said. “They dominated us in the first half. They got everything they wanted and they had the energy.”
Both teams are back in action Friday, with Eastside hosting Harker (7-13, 1-9) at 5 p.m. and Priory traveling to King’s Academy (9-11, 5-5) for a 7:30 tip.
No. 8 Sacred Heart Prep 85, King’s Academy 50
Aidan Braccia wasn’t looking ahead to Friday night.
The sophomore point guard nearly doubled his career-high scoring mark with 31 points on Tuesday night while dishing out six assists and pulling down six rebounds as Sacred Heart Prep (17-3, 9-1) rolled to an 85-50 home win over the Knights. Braccia shot 11-of-14 from the field as the Gators rode a monster 29-4 second quarter to take a 47-21 halftime lead and cruised through the second half for the win. Jai Deshpande added 16 points and James Pleasants finished with nine while Jeffrey Taylor scored 19 to lead King’s Academy (9-11, 5-5).
No. 6 Menlo 78, Pinewood 28
With six scorers in double-figures, Menlo (17-3, 10-0) cruised to a running clock win on the road, with Davis Mead scoring a game-high 14. It was the fourth straight loss for Pinewood (10-10, 2-8), though none of the prior three had come by more than 12 points.
Crystal Springs Uplands 56, Harker 51
Jack Connors scored 20 to lead Harker (7-13, 1-9), but it wasn’t enough as Crystal Springs Uplands (9-11, 2-8) swept the season series with an overtime win.
