- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,200,562
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Clayton Valley's Cannon Simpson, here playing against Salesian in the NCS Open final, had 17 points and eight rebounds in the Ugly Eagles' 55-42 first-round NorCal Division 1 defeat of Lincoln-Stockton. (Sam Stringer)
The Clayton Valley Charter-Concord boys basketball team didn't make a big stink about not being selected to Northern California Open Division, which many figured it would since the team crafted a 25-4 record and played state power Salesian-Richmond down to the wire in Saturday's North Coast Section Open final.
"They'll put us where they put us," Clayton Valley coach Frank Allocco Jr. said. "We don't really care. We just want to play."
Turns out the Ugly Eagles do care.
In the first quarter of Tuesday's 55-42 Division 1 first-round home win over Sac-Joaquin Section power Lincoln-Stockton, Clayton Valley raced to a 17-2 lead after one quarter and maintained control the rest of the way.
Cannon Simpson, a do-everything 6-foot-6 guard had 17 points and eight rebounds, Zion Grissom and Vince Ellis chipped in 12 and Chris Berry came off the bench with 10 points as the second-seeded Eagles advanced to second-round play Thursday to host Dougherty Valley-San Ramn, an 84-58 first-round winner over Destiny Christian-Sacramento.
"We feel like we could have won the Open Division (of Northern California) so now that we're put in Division I were definitely playing with an edge," said Grissom. "Our goal is to just go out there and beat every team by as much as possible and win a state championship."
After No. 1 seed Buchanan-Clovis was upset Tuesday, Clayton Valley's chances of doing so might have improved consideably.
Defensively, the Ugly Eagles are allowing just 37.3 points per game. Their offense comes primarily from the long, skilled, versatile trio of Simpson, 6-5 Ellis and 6-6 Grissom, all of whom average 12.5 points per game.
"(Simpson) can do so many different things to affect a game," Allocco said. "He's had stat lines I've never seen by a high school kid: 18 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, four blocks. Usually coaches make up those numbers, but with him, they are legit."
Alloco raves about his team's off-the-court excellence as much as on with his big three, who all can stretch the floor with shooting. Grissom is an elite defender - "the best in Northern California I believe," Allocco said - and Ellis, a Dominican College commit, is a 4.2 student and "one of the highest character kids I've been around. I want my own children to grow up and be like Vince."
The Eagles will need all the character and skill to beat Dougherty Valley, which Clayton Valley beat 55-50 in the NCS Open semifinals last week. The Wildcats (22-10) are one of the region's most explosive offensive teams, led by Rashod Cotton Jr. who had 30 points. His team hit a school-record 15 3-pointers.
University's offensive eruption: Lucas Lau was sensational again with 40 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals as fifth-seed and host University (28-5) put it all together in a 106-89 win over Placer-Auburn. Thomas Meehleib added 20 points and eight assists, Trent Hawkins contributed 16 points and Sam Newmeyer had 13 for the Red Devils, who next host No. 13 Clovis West (19-12), a 64-60 upset winner over Menlo-Atherton. Kannon Rector had 33 points for Placer (29-4).
NorCal girls: In D1, Jayla Stokes scored 16 points as 15th-seed Bishop O'Dowd pulled off a surprising 66-56 win at No. 2 Riordan (18-9), which got 23 points from Nylah Dyson. … Andrea Martin poured in 32 points and had nine rebounds leading third-seed Piedmont (22-4) to a 63-57 win over Antelope (25-6). … Thanks to big games from Lulu Giometti and Sophia Sanchez, St. Ignatius (20-8) went on the road to post a 71-66 win at Buchanan-Clovis. The ninth-seeded Wildcats (20-8) head back to the Central Valley Thursday to face top-seeded Clovis (23-10), a 47-37 winner over Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa. … In D2 girls, Ezra Palec had 22 points as No. 8 Salesian (22-10) edged Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 61-57 in overtime. The Pride now gets top-seed McClatchy-Sacramento. … Jhai Johnson had 20 points and 22 rebounds and TerriA Russell added 21 points and 12 rebounds leading fourth-seed Oakland Tech (19-10) to a 67-52 win over Moreau Catholic.
More boys action: In D1, 13th-seed Oakland (24-7) got OAL MVP D'Ari Bruce back (he missed the Oakland Section finals with a groin injury and the Wildcats lost to Oakland Tech) in a 52-32 win at Mitty. Bruce had 15 points, Te'Mond Gamble 14 and Romny Waught 12 for Oakland which now travels to Clovis North (20-13), an 86-76 home winner over Bishop-O'Dowd, which couldn't contain McKae Amundson (27 points). … Despite a remarkable effort from 6-10 sophomore Brendan Williams (26 points, 20 rebounds), Moreau Catholic-Hayward (23-5) dropped a 81-77 overtime game to Franklin-Elk Grove (23-6). Isaiah Clendinen had 18 and Kareem Jackson Jr. 10 for Moreau. … Xavier Barnett had 20 points and Adrian Barnett 19 leading ninth-seed The King's Academy-Sunnyvale (24-4) to an 85-73 win at No. 8 Marin Catholic-Kentfield (24-5), which got 16 points from Oliver Myers. …In Division 2 boys, Jaylen Smith had 26 points leading No. 7 Amador Valley-Pleasanton past No. 10 Serra 62-58, but fellow East Bay Athletic League rival Granada-Livermore, the third seed, lost to visiting Clovis, 69-63. … In D4 boys, fourth-seed Lincoln, sixth seed Sacred Heart Cathedral and No. 15 Lowell were all eliminated with first-round losses.
This article originally published at High school basketball: Clayton Valley boys lower the boom after opening NorCals in lower division.
Continue reading...
