Campolindo, Clayton Valley play instant classic
MORAGA >> Steven Dyer graduated from Campolindo in 2007 and has been the school’s head basketball coach since last season.
He hasn’t seen too many games like the one Tuesday.
“I was telling people last night it might be the most crazy game I’ve been apart of,” Dyer said Wednesday. “I had a few as a player, but definitely as a coach that was probably the craziest one I’ve been a part of.”
It took two OTs and some resilience after watching an 18-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate, but Campolindo ultimately celebrated an incredible 100-98 win at home over previously unbeaten Clayton Valley Charter.
Campolindo (14-5, 2-1 in league) was coming off a loss to College Park. Clayton Valley (18-1, 2-1) had routed then-once-beaten Las Lomas in its previous game.
“We were pretty unhappy with our performance on Friday against College Park,” Dyer said. “We just didn’t feel like we played as well as we could have played.”
Campolindo led by 16 points after one quarter and 74-56 through three. But Clayton Valley charged back in the fourth, outscoring Campolindo 26-8 to force overtime.
All five Campolindo starters scored in double figures — Carter Mahaney (25 points), Will Cummins (24), David Ahazie (15), John Torchio (12) and Trevin Kroichick (12). Mahaney’s basket with two seconds left was the winner.
Boston University-bound Garrett Pascoe had 49 for Clayton Valley.
Comeback kids?
When Archbishop Mitty narrowly lost to St. Francis two weeks ago, dropping to 2-12 overall and 0-4 in league, the reigning Central Coast Section Open Division champ seemed all but buried. At that point, the Monarchs needed seven wins in their final 11 games to finish .500 in league, which would make them playoff-eligible.
Now, after a win Tuesday over Valley Christian stretched Mitty’s win streak to three, the hole doesn’t seem quite so steep. Mitty closed the first half of West Catholic Athletic League play in fourth place with a 3-4 record and now needs four wins in its final seven games to reach the playoffs.
The next four games: At St. Ignatius, Bellarmine at home and then trips to St. Francis and Archbishop Riordan.
As Mitty coach Tim Kennedy noted a few weeks ago, every game the rest of the way is essentially a playoff game for his team.
Football
• Steven Lo, Serra’s innovative offensive coordinator who helped lead the Padres to a state title in the fall, is leaving to become the OC at Southern California powerhouse St. John Bosco-Bellflower.
• John Torchio, who starred at safety and quarterback for Campolindo last fall, announced on Twitter that he has received an offer from Cal, where his dad and grandfather played.
• Keith Minor, a former head football coach at St. Mary’s-Berkeley, is the new coach at Encinal, former Encinal coach Ricky Rodriguez said on Twitter.