 | | | Jackson Wegener Photos Gint Federas | | | | | | When the Lamorinda basketball teams play each other there is one constant: anyone can win and teams have to bring their "A" game.
In the first round of the Diablo Foothill Athletic League games, each boys' team finished 1-1 winning on their home floor as Campolindo beat Acalanes, the Dons beat Miramonte, and the Matadors beat Campolindo.
Miramonte girls continue to dominate the DFAL and Campolindo is close behind. Both teams look towards the postseason, while Acalanes continues to rebuild.
With the regular season winding down, each team has an eye towards the North Coast Section playoffs that start the week of Feb. 24.
Miramonte
Miramonte's win over Campolindo has been a highlight for the Mats this season. They were down by 17 at the end of the first period and 16 at the half and fought back for a 69-68 victory. They meet again in Moraga on Feb. 18 with the DFAL title likely on the line. The Mats also came from behind in Dublin. They trailed by more than 20 points in the fourth quarter, but came back to win 69-63.
Miramonte's girls' team has continued to dominate on their way to an 8-0 DFAL record and a 21-1 overall mark. They won tournaments in Wyoming and Arizona and their only loss was on a neutral court to Salesian (Richmond). Coach Kelly Sopak said, "The DFAL has always been a much tougher league in the second half and we need to stay sharp. It goes without saying the boys and girls' games are going to be a lot of fun at Campo!"
Acalanes
Acalanes' accomplishments include huge non-league wins over Hercules, Analy, and Encinal, whose combined records are 50-19. They also won their second straight Sonoma County Classic title in early January. In their rivalry win over Miramonte 60-55, senior Buster Souza just missed a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots and senior Matt Thomas led the team with 26 points. The key to the win was the team's foul shooting. Thomas and Souza combined for 19 of 22 free throws, many coming at the end to ice the game.
Acalanes girls' team is steadily improving, capped with an upset of Campo last week. Coach Chad Wellon said that the win, Acalanes' first over their rivals since 2008, was certainly the highlight of their season. They came back from a 21-point half time deficit to pull off the 64 to 61 win with everyone on the court contributing. When they returned to the court later, during the boy's game, they were given a huge cheer by the partisan fans.
Campolindo
Campolindo's boys have also played a challenging non-league schedule and have lost to only highly ranked teams. They are a balanced team with several players leading the team in scoring or rebounds in different games. Senior Andrew Zolintakis had 16 and junior Matt O'Reilly had 14 in their win last Friday at Las Lomas while five other players scored eight or more points. Campolindo leads the DFAL after last Friday's games with a league record of 8-1 (17-6 overall) followed closely by Miramonte at 6-2 (15-7) and Acalanes in 5th place at 3-5 (13-9.)
While Campolindo and Acalanes girls split their two DFAL games, Campolindo is in second at 7-2 in the DFAL. The Cougars have wins over highly ranked Clayton Valley Charter on the road as well as Hercules and Encinal. Senior Ashley Ewing continues to lead the Cougars, scoring 15 in their Las Lomas win and 23 in their loss to Acalanes. Coach Art Thoms noted, "The girls are getting familiar with their assignments and growing together as a team. We have a lot of room for improvement, but I am very proud of their effort and commitment to our team."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA