Bambauer Classic Championship: SI Tops University
A late 14-2 run secured the Wildcats' second win over the Red Devils.
For a brief moment, it looked like the St. Ignatius Wildcats had run out of gas after playing four days of nearly flawless basketball.
But when the shorthanded University Red Devils had rallied to take a brief one-point lead in the fourth quarter of the championship game of the 27th Bambauer Classic, the Wildcats closed on a 14-2 run to secure a 79-68 victory and beat their rivals for the second time in three weeks.
“Last year, we would have detached and lost the game,” said sophomore forward Raymond Whitley, who scored a game-high 24 points. “I feel like I’m becoming more of a leader.”
Steele Labagh scored off a pass from Vince Crisp to give St. Ignatius (9-1) the lead for good with 4:51 remaining, then scored off a turnover to make it 69-66. University (10-4) got back within a point on a pair of Gus Fried free throws, but Labagh’s 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining kicked off a 10-0 run to close out the game.
“The guys really came together,” head coach Jason Greenfield said. “The first three days, we played some incredible basketball, and tonight we were just good enough.”
After winning their first three games of the tournament by an average of 22.7 points, the Wildcats were locked in a duel with University, never leading by more than 11, and the Devils took their first lead since the opening minutes on a Fried bucket with 5:17 remaining.
“Fatigue looked to be a part of it,” Greenfield said of his team’s defensive struggles. “We couldn’t stay in front of anybody.”
That fatigue proved to be an equalizer on a night where both teams were missing starters. SI was without 6-foot-8 forward Theo Lamb (ankle) for the entirety of the tournament, and University spent the four days without forward Will Perkins (mononucleosis). The Devils were dealt a second blow shortly before Saturday’s game when leading scorer Cole Boake was ruled out with an illness of his own.
“We’ve got a lot of depth,” University head coach Randy Bessolo said. “We’re down two guys and can still compete with a team like SI.”
Turnovers proved to be University’s undoing, as the Devils coughed it up six times in the final five minutes.
“We turned it over too much, in both the first half and then after we took the lead,” Bessolo said. “We just had too many turnovers.”
Marcus Bast, who was named tournament MVP, scored with 2:12 left to put the Wildcats up six.
While Bast was limited to just six points in his final act, he dished out a game-high 10 assists, including the one to Labagh on the wing with 3:32 to go.
With Bast in a distributing role, Whitley was doing the bulk of the scoring. He had 12 of his team’s 23 in the first quarter, including the final four of a 6-0 run to give the Wildcats a 23-17 lead. He scored four more and dished out three assists in the second quarter, but University finished the half on a 7-2 run to go into the locker room trailing just 42-36.
Labagh scored off Bast’s sixth assist to give the Wildcats a 48-38 edge early in the third, but University responded with an 11-2 run, including five points from Gus Parsons.
After a relatively quiet first three games of the tournament, Parsons shone in the finale with 13 points and five assists. The Devils pulled even at 57 with 1:01 left in the third as Jordan Chau and Lucas Lau hit threes to punctuate an 8-0 run, but St. Ignatius went right back in front on a Shawn Boquiren 3-pointer and took a one-point lead into the fourth after University’s Jason Morris closed the quarter with a floater.
Vince Crisp’s three-point play with 7:07 left gave the ‘Cats a six-point lead, but University responded with a 7-0 run to take a short-lived lead as Trevor Tarm sank a three, Luke Burton scored off a feed from Parsons and Fried finished off a pass from Chau.
Fried scored a team-high 18 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Boake, who scored 32 two days earlier in a win over King.
Crisp, who scored 18 and pulled down seven rebounds, received All-Tournament honors alongside Whitley, whose eight boards led all players. Labagh finished with 16 points, all coming in the second half.
The Wildcats close non-league play at 9-1, and while they won’t have any more four-game weeks ahead, they’ll have to shift gears to handle the rigors of WCAL play.
“It’s a lot of work, a lot of scouting and a lot of getting our guys mentally in tune with what other teams are doing,” Greenfield said. “It’s completely different. I enjoyed being able to surprise guys in this tournament. We’re not gonna be able to do that.”
St. Ignatius opens league play at Riordan on Jan. 4.
Miramonte 57, Arcata 49
After a quiet week offensively, junior forward Jack Quinnild stepped up when his team needed it the most.
Quinnild hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, the first to tie the game and the second to give his team the lead for good, as the Miramonte Matadors secured third place at the 27th Bambauer Classic with a 57-49 win over the Arcata Tigers.
Koleton Fenton’s putback gave the Matadors a 50-47 lead, and Chase Miller scored the last of his 15 points off a Chris Kaufhold assist with 55.1 left to put Miramonte (9-3) up by five.
Arcata (7-7) had gone into halftime tied at 30 after a 21-point second quarter, took the lead with 5:01 left in the game on a Luke Lemke three-point play and led 47-45 after Lucian Rodriguez scored to answer Quinnild’s first 3-pointer.
Marcus Robinson scored the last of his 16 points on a pair of free throws with 35.8 seconds left to put the Mats up seven. He and Lemke both received All-Tournament honors.
Lemke finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while 6-foot-5 forward Dayquan Dunn scored a team-high 14 for Arcata. His basket off Lemke’s final assist gave the Tigers a 45-42 edge with 4:34 to go.
Lincoln 50, Urban 38
Three days after allowing an eye-popping 93 points, the Lincoln Mustangs played one of their best defensive games to secure the consolation championship at the 27th Bambauer Classic.
Mission transfer DaMarco Reed Jr. scored a game-high 19 points in his third game as a Mustang, and Lincoln (6-9) never allowed more than 11 points in a quarter in a wire-to-wire win.
Reed completed his double-double with 10 rebounds and even knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc late in the second quarter to give the Mustangs a 25-15 lead.
While guard play had buoyed Lincoln for the prior three days, it was Reed and forward Nathan Yip, who scored all seven of his points in the first quarter, that set the tone on Saturday.
The Mustangs also got 10 points from Ceyaan Lutt. Sommari Tanner, who scored 38 in the 93-81 loss to Arcata and hit a game-winning 3-pointer a day earlier against Central Catholic, dished out six assists and earned All-Tournament honors.
Jake Rodriguez made the All-Tournament Team after scoring 14 to lead Urban (10-4). The Blues also got eight points apiece from Owen Brown and Oscar Rohde.
Montgomery 60, Marin Catholic 38
Caden DeVries capped off an excellent Bambauer Classic with an 18-point, six-assist performance to lead his Montgomery Vikings to a convincing 60-38 win over host Marin Catholic to secure fifth place.
He scored eight in the second quarter to keep the Wildcats at bay, then added eight more in the third as Montgomery (12-2) took a 49-29 lead before emptying the bench.
The Vikings also got 12 points from Bobby McGovern on a quartet of 3-pointers and 11 points from Will Grafe. Charles Williams, who was named to the All-Tournament Team for Marin Catholic (5-10), scored eight of his team-high 11 points in the second half. The Wildcats also got six points apiece from Corey Nicholson and Theo Pontes.
Ygnacio Valley 71, King 68
After falling behind early the prior two days, the Ygnacio Valley Wolves started hot en route to snapping a two-game skid and finishing seventh at the 27th Bambauer Classic after a 71-68 win over the King Wolves.
Ygnacio Valley (10-4) closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 20-12 lead, then used a 20-3 run in the third quarter to go up by 19 before King (9-12) mounted one final rally.
TJ Tatom scored a game-high 19 points for Ygnacio Valley and sank four 3-pointers during that fateful 20-3 run.
James Herrell scored 18 for King on six 3-pointers and connected three times in the fourth, with his last 3-pointer coming with 4.3 left to cut the lead to two. King fouled Tone Kellogg Jr. with 1.5 seconds left, and after he made one of two free throws, the Riverside squad could never get off a final shot.
While King made an impressive charge in the fourth quarter, dubious clock management hurt. After sophomore Jeremiah Davis made one of two free throws with 47 seconds left to make it a 70-65 game, King opted not to foul. While Ygnacio Valley failed to score on the ensuing possession, the Concord side was able to run off the entire shot clock.
6-foot-7 forward Mathias Tinker did everything he could to lead King back during the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 16 points across the final eight minutes. He also amassed a game-high 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
King also got 12 points from Justin Brayard, including nine in the second half, while Davis chipped in nine.
After struggling for the first three days of the tournament, sophomore guard Jalan Cody finished on a high note for Ygnacio Valley, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the opening quarter. Kellogg finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Tatom dished out five assists of his own. 6-foot-10 center Evan McKnight scored 10, and freshman Terrance Murphy Jr. had nine points and nine rebounds.
Central Catholic 56, Vintage 54
The Central Catholic Raiders left the 27th Bambauer Classic with a pair of wins and the distinction of being the tournament’s most captivating team, as none of their games were decided by more than 11 points.
Clemson baseball commit Tyler Wentworth scored the go-ahead basket with 3:53 to go and sophomore Jordan Magana made a pair of free throws with 9.5 left to ice a 56-54 win over the Vintage Crushers.
Vintage (7-7) took a 48-47 lead on a Miles Macpherson basket with 4:46 left and drew even at 50 on a Jace Lopez bucket with 4:15 remaining. A Lopez steal and Noah Akkerman layup with 28 seconds left cut the Raider lead to two, but the Crushers had to give two fouls to send Magana to the line. His free throws put Central Catholic (9-5) up four, and time expired as Macpherson scored on a putback to cut the lead in half.
Magana led all scorers with 16, scoring 11 in the first half and sinking four 3-pointers. Wesley Payne had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Wentworth finished with 12 points and nine boards.
Saturday also marked the first game for Florida State football commit Mana Itete, who had six points and six rebounds off the bench. Itete played basketball as a freshman and sophomore at Modesto Christian before transferring.
Lopez led the Crushers with 13 points, scoring seven in the first quarter. Vintage also got 11 from Macpherson and eight apiece from Akkerman, Connor Gongora and sophomore Rory Holland.
Archie Williams 63, Priory 50
The Archie Williams Falcons opened the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run to turn a one-point game into a comfortable finish, beating the Priory Panthers 63-50 to finish the 27th Bambauer Classic with a pair of wins.
Leading just 40-39 after Panthers sophomore Kasten Eggers hit a stepback three, Archie Williams (7-7) got 3-pointers from Grady Stewart, Dante Stallone and Owen Bugas to pull away.
While the guards stepped up in the fourth quarter for the Falcons, 6-foot-3 sophomore forward Brian Wright was a consistent contributor throughout the day, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Priory (5-7) trailed 16-9 after a quarter and 28-22 at halftime, but closed the third on a 11-0 run behind a 3-pointer from Basti Dyckerhoff, freshman Jojo Tejuco’s and-1 and Eggers’ three.
Eggers led the Panthers with 20 points and nine rebounds. David Moseley’s squad also got seven points from Hudson Karnes, the lone senior in the starting lineup.
Bugas led the Falcons with 18 points, and he rounded out his efforts with seven rebounds and five assists. Stewart added 12 and Julian Nichol chipped in 10. Sophomore Ephraim Sohn scored just two points off the bench, but made his presence felt with eight rebounds.
Heritage 67, Mills 56
The Heritage Patriots used a big first quarter and a monster day from Nate Grube to defeat the Mills Vikings and snap a five-game losing streak.
Grube scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter as Heritage (5-9) raced out to an early 21-7 lead and led by as much as 21 in the second quarter before Mills (3-10) closed to within six.
The Vikings closed the first half on a 14-2 run to trail 32-23 and trailed just 48-42 late in the third after Kareem Mosa’s putback, but Mason Weber scored just before the buzzer to restore an eight-point lead.
An 8-0 run early in the fourth put the game to bed, with the Patriots cruising to victory after 3-pointers by Austin Beltram and Lucas Daniel.
Daniel had 12 points and six assists on the day, while Bryce Beasley scored seven of his nine points in the second half. Beltram added eight points and Weber finished with six.
Jefriel Bacorro led Mills with 14 points and five assists, and Joshua Lee scored 13. The Vikings also got 10 points and eight rebounds from Mosa and eight points from Jason Pember.