DANVILLE, Calif. – If there’s one thing that can be said about EBAL boys basketball this season, its that there’s rarely a dull match-up. That was proven once again on Tuesday night when San Ramon Valley hosted Dublin. The Gaels trailed early, marched back, and then held on tight before finally escaping with a 79-75 win.
Courtney Anderson Jr. scored 28 points, including three first quarter three-pointers and eight fourth quarter free throws, and Jalen Stokes and Mehki Thomas had 15 apiece for Dublin (15-7, 3-1 EBAL). Luke Isaak paced San Ramon Valley (17-5, 1-4) with 20 points, while Matthew Diekmann sank a quartet of three-pointers in the second half as part of a 16-point night.
With the score tied 71-71 in the last minute, Thomas’ putback on the baseline made it 73-71. Then the Wolves made a critical turnover when a short pass failed to connect. That resulted in an intentional foul and trip to the line for Anderson who sank both ends of a one-and-one. Seamus Deely had a putback of his own with 19 seconds remaining, and on the ensuing inbound pass Donovan Cooks was sent to the line. With Dublin now in the double bonus, he made both of his attempts, and after a missed San Ramon Valley three, Anderson put a bow on it with two more free throws. A reverse layup by Diekmann affected the final score but that was it.
“Last week we missed a lot of free throws the first time, so this week to secure the win we had to make a lot of free throws,” Anderson said.
The game saw an early 9-0 run by the Wolves, and the home team was ahead 24-17 after one. At the half, San Ramon Valley held a slim 36-34 advantage. A huge 11-0 run by Dublin in the third pushed the Gaels' lead to its highest for the game at nine, and to start the fourth they were up five. In the end, the difference of the game came from the free throw line more than anything else. San Ramon Valley was a decent 9-for-12, but Dublin had twice as many attempts and converted 20 of them for an 83% clip.
Dublin coach Tom Costello named clutch free throws and sustaining San Ramon Valley’s hot stretch of shooting as keys.
“Being in tough situations with good teams, sort of galvanized us a little bit,” Costello remarked. “We gotta stay humble and play harder. A road win in the EBAL is gold, so we take what we can get.”
Cooks finished with 10 points and nine assists for the Gaels. The Wolves’ Parker McClaughry had a particularly strong first quarter and tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the evening. Will Ambridge tacked on another 12 points for San Ramon Valley, while Deely had a fine all-around game with nine points, six rebounds, and six assists.
“We played with each other a long time so he knows where my spots are,” Anderson commented about Cook. “A lot of our success early was due to him.”
