SPSV upends No. 3 Las Lomas; Salesian prevails
The label “defending state champion” carries a burden.
That’s why St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo coach Derek Walker was pleased to face third-ranked Las Lomas-Walnut Creek, which entered Monday’s opening game of the MaxPreps/De La Salle Martin Luther King Classic at St. Mary’s College 15-0.
“It’s a big arrow every night,” Walker said. “It forces us to grow up fast.”
Behind the inside presence of 6-foot-8 sophomore Dishon Jackson (16 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks) and the floor game of junior Akil Edwards (14 points), St. Patrick (10-5) held off a cold-shooting and slowstarting Las Lomas squad to win 52-48 in the morning game of the 21st annual event.
The Knights (15-1), who got 17 points from Jason Holman and 14 from Robert Prince, fell behind 6-0 and did not lead. Las Lomas seemed bothered by the long wingspan of Jackson, whose parents are 6-7 and 6-4. Doctors have told his parents he might grow to be 7 feet tall. He averaged just 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds last season on the Bruins’ 28-7 team.
“He definitely changes things on the defensive end,” Walker said. “He’s growing in all areas, on and off the court. This was a good one for him and us.”
It wasn’t so good for the Knights, who trailed 18-6 early in the second quarter and 4028 late in the third. A 12-1 run in the fourth closed the gap to 48-46 with 40.7 seconds left.
Edwards hit three straight free throws to seal it.
“We just didn’t have the energy needed throughout to win a big game like this,” Las Lomas coach Brian Dietschy said. “We showed it in the end, but we needed that effort from the start.”
In other games from the event: #1 Salesian-Richmond 76, Modesto Christian 62: Two of the best teams in Northern California looked similar in terms of talent, size, pace and shooters, but the Pride (17-1) had James Akinjo and a little more experience. Akinjo, a savvy 6-1, 180-pound point guard who plays like his idol, Chris Paul, scored 35 points to go with seven assists and four rebounds and Salesian took control in the fourth quarter. Not coincidentally, that is when the Connecticut-bound senior was at his best, scoring 13 in the fourth and 22 in the second half. He also dished two nice assists, one that Joshua Johnson (11 points) dunked home, and the other to Shane Bell for a layup in the final two minutes. Jaden McClanahan added 13 points for Salesian, which scored 45 in the second half of an entertaining affair to conclude the one-day, six-game event. Recent transfer Junior Ballard had 15 points for the Crusaders (13-3). Damien-La Verne 61, #15 De La Salle-Concord 52: In a game of big swings, Cameron Shelton delivered the knockout blow. Damien’s 6-2 point guard scored 22 of his gamehigh 33 points in the second half after Damien survived a 22-4 De La Salle run in the first half. De La Salle (11-5) turned a 13-10 deficit into a 32-17 lead with 1:26 left in the half. Justin Pratt went for 11 of his team-high 17 in the spurt, Cade Arbogast (11 points) drilled two three-pointers and Tim Kostolansky (12 points) had two interior buckets. Damien (16-3) closed the half and started the third with a 22-1 run to go up 39-33. De La Salle closed the third on a 6-0 run, but Shelton, a Northern Arizona commit, took over the game from there, scoring 13 of his team’s final 22 points. #2 Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 64, Pleasant Grove (Utah) 54: The dynamic guard duo of Utah signee Naseem Gaskin (11 points, 14 rebounds) and Washington-bound Elijah Hardy (12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) was fantastic, but the outside shooting of Ross Williams (19 points, five three-pointers) was the difference for the Dragons (10-5), who held off the Vikings (13-2) and 7-3 center Matt Van Komen (10 points, 14 rebounds, eight blocks). Pleasant Grove (13-3) closed to 55-53 before Gaskin drilled a three-pointer with 1:10 left. Moreau Catholic-Hayward 59, Woodcreek-Roseville 56: A free throw by Glenn Byrd with 22.6 seconds left broke a 56-56 tie and Leonard Turner (12 points) sealed it with a free throw for Moreau (11-4), which got a team-high 17 points from Amil Fields and 14 from Lionel Anderson. Woodcreek (13-5) was led by Chris Cagle, a 6-7 senior, who had 28 points and 15 rebounds. Oak Park 77, Valley Christian 54: The Eagles (12-6) prevailed, led by 6-10 senior forward Riley Battin, a Utah commit who scored a gamehigh 28 points to go with 12 rebounds. Clark Slajchert, a 6-1 sophomore, added 20 points. The Warriors (9-5), who have lost five straight, got 16 points from Jaylon Bryant and 13 from Cameron Fini.