Prep roundup: No. 5 Bellarmine outlasts No. 12 Dougherty Valley; No. 15 Granada beats St. Francis in thriller
SAN JOSE — Bellarmine didn’t flinch when a scrappy Dougherty Valley team made its run in the second half.
At home on Saturday afternoon, the Bells answered the Wildcats’ second-half surge with poise to pull away with a 75-63 win. The game was one of the premier matchups at the Bay Area Challenge Showcase that pitted some of the top teams in the East Bay Athletic League against a few of the best programs in the West Catholic Athletic League.
The EBAL and the WCAL are regarded as the top basketball leagues in the Bay Area. Bellarmine is ranked fifth in the latest Bay Area News Group rankings while Dougherty Valley holds the 12th spot.
Chico State-bound guard Will Corbett scored 20 points and dished out eight assists to lead Bellarmine.
Bellarmine jumped out to a fast start before Dougherty Valley clawed its way back in the second half. But timely contributions from seniors Brennan Williams and Sofian Stringfellow helped Bellarmine regain control in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a special win,” Bellarmine coach Alex Sarrett said. “I got a ton of respect for Mike Hanson. I think he’s a fantastic coach, and they’re going to do really well this year in their league. So for us to come down, finish out our preseason with that win, it’s a big deal for us.”
Williams also finished with 20 points and added three rebounds. Stringfellow had 16 points with four made 3-pointers.
Dougherty Valley guard Rashod Cotton Jr. led all scorers with 24 points. Junior Rylan Sevilla added 14 points.
“They’re a good team and at their place in a big event, this is kind of what I expected,” Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen said. “We’d have to make more shots in order to beat them.”
The Bells shot lights out in the first half, which helped them jump out to an early 33-19 lead after two quarters.
But after the halftime break, Dougherty Valley turned up the pressure on the San Jose school.
The Wildcats continued to double and triple team Corbett to get the ball out of his hands. The plan worked as the wiry guard scored just six points in the final two periods as the Wildcats briefly took a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
But Bellarmine adjusted just in time to take back control of the game.
A layup from Dougherty Valley sophomore Alonzo Walker cut the Bellarmine lead to four halfway through the fourth quarter. But from there it was all Bellarmine.
The Bells finished the period on a 15-7 run on a barrage of buckets from Williams and Stringfellow.
Williams’ steal and dunk with just under three minutes left in the game gave Bellarmine an eight-point lead and all but sealed the win for the San Jose school.
Bellarmine attributed the win to weathering Dougherty Valley’s run in the third quarter and adjusting when the Wildcats took away their top scorer.
“We’re going to see a lot of teams blitzing Will with the great player that he is,” Williams said. “So it’s just about having to step up, help him out and get some pressure off his back.”
Sarrett added, “If they want to send two at Will, it’s fine. We’re just going to skip it over. Find another option.”
The home team looked poised early as Bellarmine jumped out to a 16-5 lead after the first quarter. Bellarmine’s offense, powered by Corbett, easily sliced through the smaller Dougherty Valley defense.
Corbett finished the first half 14 points, which included a thunderous one-handed dunk that drew oohs and aahs from the home crowd.
Dougherty Valley (11-5) will end its nonleague portion of its schedule on Tuesday when it plays Bishop O’Dowd.
Bellarmine (8-2) will host its WCAL opener on Tuesday against St. Francis.
No. 2 Archbishop Riordan 67, Monte Vista 47
The Mustangs hung around for three quarters, but Riordan proved to be too much in the end, cruising to a 20-point victory. JP Pihtovs scored 13 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked three shots in the win.
No. 8 California 65, No. 3 St. Ignatius 64
The Grizzlies get their best win of the season by handing St. Ignatius its first loss of the season behind 33 points from Santa Clara-bound guard Brayde Kuykendall. Kuykendall knocked in two free throws with under five seconds left to give California a one-point lead. The Grizzlies then got a key stop to ice the game. Jaiden Jones, who along with Kuykendall accounted for every California basket in the fourth quarter, added 17 points. St. Ignatius’ Noah Kirsch-Lopez had a team-high 13 points.
No. 10 Amador Valley 57, St. Mary’s-Berkeley 54
Junior point guard Jaylen Smith scored a game-high 22 points to lead Amador Valley to a close win over St. Mary’s. San Jose State commit Cade Krueger and Elijah Stanley combined for 19 points in the win. Donovan Mikel led St. Mary’s with 14 points and Malakai Kelley added 12.
No. 14 Dublin 63, No. 19 Valley Christian 61
Down seven players with illness and injuries, Dublin somehow found a way to pull out what coach Tom Costello described as “one of my best wins in my career.” Both teams played evenly until early in the fourth quarter when Dublin used a 13-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth to take an 11-point lead. Valley Christian clawed back into the game late, but time ran out and the Gaels hit just enough free throws to seal a solid nonleague win. Nick Lee scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed four rebounds in the win. Senior transfer from Colorado Izaiyah Romero added 25 points. Valley Christian’s Bryant Clark led the Warriors with 19 points.
No. 15 Granada 64, St. Francis 59
The Matadors clawed their way back from the jaws of defeat down St. Francis. Granada trailed by eight with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, but ended the game on a 13-1 run to seal the victory. Junior Brandon Hahn turned in another monster performance, scoring 25 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Quaran Johnson Jr. came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring six of his seven points to spark Granada’s comeback. Weston Edwards led St. Francis (7-3) with 17 points. Granada finished its non-league schedule 12-3 and will open EBAL play with Monte Vista on Friday.
Livermore 65, Sacred Heart Cathedral 40
Sophomore star Amare Chandler poured in 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Livermore to a blowout win over SHC. C.T. Harper added 10 points and center Dylan Wherry had nine. Saturday’s victory was Livermore’s first win over a WCAL team in the MaxPreps era (since 2004).
San Ramon Valley 63, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 47
The Wolves got back on track after losing three of their last four games with a comfortable win over SPSV. Pierce Iattoni and Philip Hitchcock each scored a game-high 15 points while Tommy Ambidge added 14. Ronbie Rhymes had a game-high 29 points for SPSV.