TheLounge
02-27-2007, 01:54 PM
When No. 3 Menlo-Atherton takes on No. 7 Mills at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Foothill College in the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Division II boys’ basketball playoffs, it means one Peninsula Athletic League team will advance to the CCS championship game —*and into the Northern California tournament by virtue of making the finals.
The teams have faced each other twice this year, with M-A (19-8) winning both times. The Bears beat Mills (22-7) 65-54 Dec. 7 in the Burlingame Lions Club Tournament. The two teams met again in the semifinals of the PAL tournament Feb. 17, with the Bears winning 58-52 when Steve Call knocked down eight 3-pointers and scored 34 points.
The third meeting will have a lot more riding on the outcome.
“Mills is going to be a hard team to beat three times,” said M-A coach Craig Carson. “It’s been two very close games and things kind of went our way. If a couple of things happen the other way, who knows.
“Right now, it’s scary to play anyone.”
There is no doubt Mills desperately wants to win this game.
“We want some payback,” said Mills’ Shawn Echols. “This is the time it counts. It will hurt a lot if they take us out.”
The key to the game will be defense. M-A had an 11-game winning streak snapped in the PAL tournament final when Menlo School beat the Bears 55-36. In two CCS games since then, the Bears have gotten back to their lock-down defense, allowing only 29 points in a 64-29 win over Leland and surrendered only 36 points in a win over Gunn in the quarterfinals.
Mills, meanwhile, has given up 61 and 51 points in its two CCS games.
“Mills is a pretty high-scoring team,” Carson said. “We have to keep them around 50 (points).”
The key to success for Mills?
“I hope we don’t give up 34 points to Steve Call, that would be No. 1,” said Mills coach Rick Hanson.
***
There is little argument that the West Catholic Athletic League is the top league in the Central Coast Section and one of the best in Northern California when it comes to basketball.
The numbers bear it out. There are five WCAL girls’ teams and four WCAL boys’ teams in the semifinals of the various CCS tournament divisions.
If the WCAL is tops, which league is second? I submit that the Peninsula Athletic League is just behind the WCAL. Again, the numbers prove it. There are nine PAL teams (five boys, four girls) that are in the semifinals of CCS.
While there is little doubt the WCAL will be well represented in the finals, the PAL has a chance to make its mark as well. Of the nine semifinals in which PAL teams play, only four are against WCAL teams. The rest are public school matchups.
And while WCAL teams may stop the PAL in the finals —*the WCAL has five No. 1 seeds —*it shouldn’t diminish the PAL’s strength.
The good news is, of the nine PAL teams in the semifinals, five won’t face WCAL opponents until the finals —*assuming those teams get there in the first place.
***
Which team is tops in the PAL? Well, going by the PAL tournament, it was the Menlo boys and Mills girls.
The real test, however, is CCS and it appears that the PAL South rules the roost this season. Of the nine PAL teams still in the playoffs, six come from the PAL South —*Carlmont boys and girls, Menlo-Atherton boys and girls and Menlo School boys and girls.
The PAL Central would be second with both Burlingame teams still alive, along with the Mills boys.
***
Let’s face it. No one likes working Saturdays, especially me. I try to avoid it as much as possible but when CCS playoffs rolls around, you bite the bullet and try to enjoy playoff basketball.
What’s even more fun is to count the number of freeways I hit during playoff time. Saturday, I think I topped myself by hitting nine different freeways around the Bay Area.
Living deep in the East Bay, I started out on 580 to 238 through San Lorenzo, 880 through Hayward and 92 across the San Mateo Bridge. I hit 280 to make my way to Foothill College for the Mills-Serra game. From there, I head south, making my way to Milpitas High. So, it’s 280 to 85 to get to 237 through Sunnyvale and to Milpitas. I miss the 237 interchange, however, so I have to make a huge U-turn on 101 before finally hooking up with 237.
Following the Carlmont-Gilroy girls’ game, I hit 680 for my ride home. I could have added highway 84, through the hills of Livermore, but there is construction going on and I wasn’t sure if the road was open.
As the mighty Led Zeppelin once sang: “I grow so tired, but I know I’ve got one thing I got to do... Ramble on!”
The teams have faced each other twice this year, with M-A (19-8) winning both times. The Bears beat Mills (22-7) 65-54 Dec. 7 in the Burlingame Lions Club Tournament. The two teams met again in the semifinals of the PAL tournament Feb. 17, with the Bears winning 58-52 when Steve Call knocked down eight 3-pointers and scored 34 points.
The third meeting will have a lot more riding on the outcome.
“Mills is going to be a hard team to beat three times,” said M-A coach Craig Carson. “It’s been two very close games and things kind of went our way. If a couple of things happen the other way, who knows.
“Right now, it’s scary to play anyone.”
There is no doubt Mills desperately wants to win this game.
“We want some payback,” said Mills’ Shawn Echols. “This is the time it counts. It will hurt a lot if they take us out.”
The key to the game will be defense. M-A had an 11-game winning streak snapped in the PAL tournament final when Menlo School beat the Bears 55-36. In two CCS games since then, the Bears have gotten back to their lock-down defense, allowing only 29 points in a 64-29 win over Leland and surrendered only 36 points in a win over Gunn in the quarterfinals.
Mills, meanwhile, has given up 61 and 51 points in its two CCS games.
“Mills is a pretty high-scoring team,” Carson said. “We have to keep them around 50 (points).”
The key to success for Mills?
“I hope we don’t give up 34 points to Steve Call, that would be No. 1,” said Mills coach Rick Hanson.
***
There is little argument that the West Catholic Athletic League is the top league in the Central Coast Section and one of the best in Northern California when it comes to basketball.
The numbers bear it out. There are five WCAL girls’ teams and four WCAL boys’ teams in the semifinals of the various CCS tournament divisions.
If the WCAL is tops, which league is second? I submit that the Peninsula Athletic League is just behind the WCAL. Again, the numbers prove it. There are nine PAL teams (five boys, four girls) that are in the semifinals of CCS.
While there is little doubt the WCAL will be well represented in the finals, the PAL has a chance to make its mark as well. Of the nine semifinals in which PAL teams play, only four are against WCAL teams. The rest are public school matchups.
And while WCAL teams may stop the PAL in the finals —*the WCAL has five No. 1 seeds —*it shouldn’t diminish the PAL’s strength.
The good news is, of the nine PAL teams in the semifinals, five won’t face WCAL opponents until the finals —*assuming those teams get there in the first place.
***
Which team is tops in the PAL? Well, going by the PAL tournament, it was the Menlo boys and Mills girls.
The real test, however, is CCS and it appears that the PAL South rules the roost this season. Of the nine PAL teams still in the playoffs, six come from the PAL South —*Carlmont boys and girls, Menlo-Atherton boys and girls and Menlo School boys and girls.
The PAL Central would be second with both Burlingame teams still alive, along with the Mills boys.
***
Let’s face it. No one likes working Saturdays, especially me. I try to avoid it as much as possible but when CCS playoffs rolls around, you bite the bullet and try to enjoy playoff basketball.
What’s even more fun is to count the number of freeways I hit during playoff time. Saturday, I think I topped myself by hitting nine different freeways around the Bay Area.
Living deep in the East Bay, I started out on 580 to 238 through San Lorenzo, 880 through Hayward and 92 across the San Mateo Bridge. I hit 280 to make my way to Foothill College for the Mills-Serra game. From there, I head south, making my way to Milpitas High. So, it’s 280 to 85 to get to 237 through Sunnyvale and to Milpitas. I miss the 237 interchange, however, so I have to make a huge U-turn on 101 before finally hooking up with 237.
Following the Carlmont-Gilroy girls’ game, I hit 680 for my ride home. I could have added highway 84, through the hills of Livermore, but there is construction going on and I wasn’t sure if the road was open.
As the mighty Led Zeppelin once sang: “I grow so tired, but I know I’ve got one thing I got to do... Ramble on!”