Senior Spenser McDonald of Miramonte goes up against two Bishop
O'Dowd defenders. Photo Jordan Fong
The three Lamorinda high schools produced some exciting moments and a lot of success during the recently concluded basketball season.
On the boys' side, Campolindo won the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championship going undefeated (12-0) on their way to a season record of 23-5. They were upset at home by rival Miramonte 57-45 in their final game--a North Coast Section quarterfinal.
Acalanes finished second in the DFAL with a 9-3 record (16-11 overall) and also advanced to the NCS playoffs where their season ended in a 55-40 loss at El Cerrito.
Miramonte finished third in the DFAL with an 8-4 record but advanced the furthest in post-season play.
Following the upset of Campolindo, they traveled to Sebastopol and avenged their 2009 NCS title game loss by beating Analy 70 to 67 in overtime. Senior Chris Hatfield led all scorers with 26 and senior Spenser McDonald and sophomore Ross Anderson added 12 apiece. In the overtime, senior Davis Louie scored eight of his 11 points to put the Mats over the top.
In the NCS Division III championship game on March 5th at Saint Mary's College, the Matadors played close against top seed Bishop O'Dowd for the entire game before falling 60-50. The Mats played tenacious defense with nearly every starter picking up at least one block on the taller Dragons. They held their opponents scoreless for nearly three and a half minutes and scored the first three points of the game. The game stayed close with neither team leading by more than four points throughout the first three periods.
In the fourth period, the Dragons got some unlikely scoring help from their guards and opened up a 13 point lead, but the Mats did not quit. Louie hit a three and two free throws while McDonald added off-balance three, all in less than a minute. The effort reduced the lead to six with 36 seconds to go. The Mats had to foul and the Dragons made their last four free throws on their way to the final ten point advantage. Louie led all scorers with 14 while Anderson added 12 and McDonald and Hatfield each had ten.
By virtue of their strong NCS runner-up showing, the Matadors were selected to host a first round Northern California CIF game against Burlingame of the Central Coast Section. The game held on March 19 was another nip and tuck affair--with another overtime finish--something Miramonte has been used to. This time, the Panthers scored the last two points in regulation and they headed to extra time tied at 49. McDonald hit a baseline jumper for the Mats to put them ahead with the first score in overtime and they hung on for the 57-51 victory.
On Thursday, the Mats took their game on the road to visit Sacramento High. This was another barn burner but the Mats were on the short end of an 87-84 nail-biter. Hatfield finished with 28 points and Anderson added 20 to lead Miramonte who finished at 18-14 on the year.
The Lamorinda girls' teams also fared very well in the regular season and in post season play. All three participated in the NCS playoffs with Campolindo and Miramonte advancing to the semi-finals and to the Northern California playoffs. Acalanes finished at 15-12.
Over at Campolindo, the Lady Cougars won their first two NCS games. The Cougars' NCS run ended in the semi-finals when they lost to top-seeded Bishop O'Dowd. Finishing in the semi-finals of the NCS tournament qualified the Cougars for the Northern California CIF championships. Campolindo headed across the bay to face St. Ignatius. The Wildcats prevailed 67-53 and the Cougars finished a very successful year with a record of 20-10.
Miramonte's NCS run ended when they were edged by Dougherty Valley in the semi-finals 57-54. Junior Alyssa Johanson led the team with 13 points while senior Stephanie Golden added 12. And, along with making it to the semi-finals of the NCS, the Lady Matadors were rewarded with a long trip up to face Enterprise in Redding on Tuesday where they beat the Hornets 60 to 48.
This was a streaky game as Miramonte took an early 14 point lead and Enterprise came right back to take the halftime lead. In the second half, the Lady Mats picked up the pace outscoring them 38 to 25. Golden led the Mats with 15 points and Johanson added ten rebounds. And their prize for winning was another road trip to play St. Mary's of Stockton, a team that defeated them 82-42 in February.
St. Mary's came into the game ranked as the number one girls team in the United States. In the rematch it was much closer as Miramonte fought back from an early 11 point deficit and actually led by 34-33 early in the second half, but St. Mary's went on a 13-0 run and eventually won 75-53. Golden again led the Mats with 16 points. The Lady Mats finished at 22-8.
Lamorinda All-League Award Winners
BOYS Co-MVP: Kellen Ito (Campolindo) Sr.; Adam Mancebo (Campolindo) Sr. First Team: Chris Hatfield (Miramonte) Sr.; Corey Collins (Acalanes) Sr.; Spenser McDonald (Miramonte) Sr., Jay Fowler (Acalanes) Sr. Second Team: Pat Wirth (Campolindo) Sr.; Brian Sanders (Campolindo) Sr., Zach Bloom (Acalanes) Sr. Honorable Mention: Davis Louie (Miramonte) Sr.; Tyler Caldwell (Acalanes) Sr.; Carl King (Campolindo) Jr.; GIRLS Co-MVP: Stephanie Golden (Miramonte) Sr. First Team: Liza Katz (Miramonte) Jr..; Emani Harrison (Acalanes) Jr.; Meghan Ringer (Campolindo) Sr. Second Team: Kiara Harewood (Acalanes) Jr.; Annie Ward (Campolindo) Jr.; Amanda Forshay (Campolindo) Jr.; Alyssa Johanson (Miramonte) Jr. Honorable Mention: Kristine Miller (Miramonte) Sr.; Taylor Kizzie (Miramonte) So.; Janine Loutzenhiser (Miramonte) So.
On the boys' side, Campolindo won the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championship going undefeated (12-0) on their way to a season record of 23-5. They were upset at home by rival Miramonte 57-45 in their final game--a North Coast Section quarterfinal.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA