OAKLAND — Even in a bizarre year like no other, a constant remains: Bishop O’Dowd almost never loses at home.
A side that’s lost just one game in its own gym over the past four seasons capped off the 2021 campaign with one last nailbiter of a victory, overcoming an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 59-57 win over University.
“We’ve always found ways to claw back into games, keep games close,” said senior forward Jarin Edwards, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and scored the go-ahead basket in the lane with two minutes left to put Bishop O’Dowd (9-4) up 54-52.
Henry Palmer’s steal and layup stretched the lead to four, and though Zach Beischer cut the lead in half with 30.4 seconds left, Cameron Brown scored the last two of his 11 points on a pair of free throws with 16.4 left. Beischer thought he was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 5.2 left, but the foul was ultimately ruled on the floor. And though Joey Kennedy finished off his 20-point, 11-rebound performance with a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining, Taj Phillips made the first of two free throws with 0.7 left, and missing the second ensured that the best attempt University (13-2) could make at a game-winning shot was just a heave that fell well short.
“It’s good for everybody to get a victory, to root for your teammates an to have some good food afterwards,” Bishop O'Dowd head coach Lou Richie said while holding a plate catered by the mother of former Dragons star Ivan Rabb, who frequently supplies the team with Cajun food.
Trailing 47-39 after back-to-back threes by Beischer and Kennedy to open the quarter, O’Dowd punched back with a Brown and-1, a fancy Phillips layup and a powerful move through the lane by Edwards. Palmer’s three-point play with 4:08 left gave the Dragons their first lead since the start of the third quarter, and though Kennedy quickly tied it with an open layup, the hosts retook the lead on their lone 3-pointer of the afternoon.
“That’s a play we run pretty often. I’ve practiced that shot a thousand times,” said Matt Desler, who drained the three from the left corner. “We go through it in practice, coming off screens hard, making sure both guys are screening well.”
Lyon’s and-1 10 seconds later knotted the score at 52, but the Edwards bucket and Palmer steal ensured the Dragons would come out on top.
“We had our chances in a game we definitely could have or should have won,” University head coach Randy Bessolo said. “There were some calls that didn’t go our way, but we’re grateful for the opportunity to play a great team like Bishop O’Dowd.”
The Red Devils attempted just five free throws to the Dragons’ 19, and their fans and players were frequently frustrated by missed calls. Between the officiating and a handful of missed layups, it was a game that slipped away from University.
“It’s tough to take solace in close losses, but when you go to Bishop O’Dowd and lose by 2 or go into Riordan and lead into the second half, when you go into SI and win, we’ve shown we’re a small school with some big-time basketball players who can play against anybody in the state,” Bessolo said.
Aside from Kennedy, a sophomore who racks up double-doubles more often than not, the Devils got major contributions from all three of their senior captains in their final games. Ren Zanze had 12 points, Beischer finished with 10, all coming in the second half, and Raki Cabrera-Scarlata scored eight. To get on the court at all as seniors was a victory for Cabrera-Scarlata and Zanze, who had to battle through a shoulder injury and hip flexor surgery.
“Both had doctor’s orders not to play, both defied those doctor’s orders,” Bessolo said. “They gave us absolutely everything they could give, and we all are gonna forever remember that and appreciate that.”
Cabrera-Scarlata’s and-1 put the visitors up 39-33 with 3:16 left in the third, but a pair of Edwards putbacks kept the Dragons within striking distance. With Jalen Lewis resting after returning from a National Team camp, Marsalis Roberson prepping to begin his college career at Cal and center Cahal Connolly out with an ankle injury, Edwards rose to the occasion.
“Next man up,” Richie said. “He felt empowered by Marsalis, Jalen and Cahal not being there.”
While Brown is just a junior, most of the major contributors for the Dragons were playing in their final game. Phillips, who’s headed to Puget Sound next year, scored nine while Palmer and Desler each added seven. Palmer also pulled down eight rebounds.
With Kennedy back for two more years and Lyon, who had seven points and five assists, set for another season, it likely won’t be the last time the Red Devils measure themselves against a top opponent.
“We looked at this like it was our Rose Bowl, with a chance to go up against a historic team from a historic conference,” Bessolo said. “We need to embrace competition both within our program and outside it. We need to measure ourselves against teams like that.”
