Dragons dazzled with dunks and 3-pointers
SAN JOSE » In these unprecedented times, Bishop O’dowd boys basketball coach Lou Richie had an unprecedented message for his team before its Northern California Open Division semifinal last weekend at Archbishop Mitty.
“This is your state championship game,” he told his players.
The third-seeded Dragons delivered the clutch victory in electrifying style, putting on a dunk and 3-point show to prevail 73-60, a result that extended the storied Oakland program’s win streak to 18 games.
When it ended, the Dragons (237) posed for a picture on the court, just as teams do when they capture a state crown.
“As far as I am concerned, it was our last game,” Richie said several minutes later in the locker room. “Tomorrow is not promised and, in the Bay Area, it’s definitely not promised. What can happen over the next 48 hours? All it takes is one person to make a phone call.”
O’dowd not only shot well from long distance, but it also got Marsalis Roberson loose on three rim-rattling dunks before halftime.
Still, second-seeded Mitty (23-5) stayed within striking distance, trailing by seven at the break and eight going to the fourth quarter.
Then O’dowd put the game away with a 13-5 run as Monty Bowser nailed a 3-pointer, then drove to the hoop for an and-one three-point play.
Lewis followed with a 3-pointer — the big guy can shoot — and Taj Phillips scored on a teardrop in the lane.
“When we start picking up the pace like that and getting lobs on fast breaks, we’re hard to stop,” Lewis said. “We have all the energy flowing. We have our fans, our bench.”
Four O’dowd starters scored in double figures. Phillips led the way with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Lewis finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, despite pregame concerns after tweaking an ankle in practice. Bowser added 15 points and Roberson chipped in with 12 points, including the Dragons’ last two on, you’ve got it, a dunk.
“They’ve got a lot of weapons and they were playing downhill a lot of the night,” Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said.
The victory moved O’dowd into the regional final, but Richie said that night, “We’ll see if the game is played.”
And if it isn’t?
“The goal is to win the last game,” Richie said. “If there is no more, we’ve done that.”