Auzarang leads SM to title

But there is one thing the Bearcats do well as a team and that’s defend and that was on display as the Bearcats hosted Sequoia with the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division title on the line Friday night.

And as usual, Auzarang got his, scoring a game-high 30 points. But it was the Bearcats’ team defense that really was the difference as they held off the Ravens 49-45 to capture their first PAL division title since winning the Lake Division crown in 2012.

“This team bought into a defensive mindset all year long, but they also have a toughness factor you can’t measure,” Lui said of his squad.

The defense really came to forefront in the second and fourth quarters for San Mateo (11-1 PAL Ocean, 19-5 overall). The Bearcats led 9-8 after the first quarter, but Sequoia (10-2, 14-10) got a six-point flurry from senior guard Charlie Fulton, who led the Ravens with 15 points.

After a Fulton fast-break layup gave Sequoia a 14-9 lead, San Mateo called timeout and when the Bearcats came out of it and Grant Wolfgram knocked down a jumper, Lui went with a full-court press.

And it paid dividends immediately. Trent Chan came up with a steal on the that first Sequoia possession that Bryan Ehlerman turned into a layup. Another steal turned into a three-point play for Auzarang, who Euro-stepped around the defender and laid it while drawing a foul. That was followed by yet another Sequoia turnover, with Auzerang scoring a putback and the Bearcats were up 18-15 with 4:15 left in the second quarter.

They would never trail again.

San Mateo would go on to end the half on a 17-5 run to lead 26-19 at halftime as the Bearcats came up with seven of their 15 steals in the second quarter.

“Sometimes when we press, it lets our guys loose a little bit,” Lui said. “Sometimes you just have to cause chaos.”

Lui did say, however, that he has to be judicious about when he goes to his press. With a short bench, he needs to make sure his key guys stay fresh.

“When we press the whole game, we get out of control,” Lui said. “We try to pick our spots.”

In the fourth quarter, the Bearcats turned up the defensive intensity again. After Auzarang scored all nine of his team’s points in the third quarter and the Bearcats managed just one rebound and were clinging to a 35-33 lead, the rest of the team finally came alive. They grabbed nine fourth-quarter rebounds, including three offensive boards, with Ehlerman grabbing four boards with two offensive rebounds and Chan adding three, while holding Sequoia to just 5 of 15 shooting over the final eight minutes.

In all, the Ravens shot just 37% from the field, connecting on just 15 of 41 shot attempts. It is the 16th time in 26 game in which the Bearcats held an opponent to 50 points or less.

Ehlerman, who finished with 10 points, scored on a putback to open the fourth and that keyed a 7-0 run, culminating with an Auzarang rise-up jumper for the Bearcats’ largest lead of the night, 42-33.

The Ravens scored their first fourth-quarter points when Luke Ostrander knocked down a 3-pointer to close to 42-36, but then it was time for Auzarang to take over at the free-throw line.

While Auzarang knocked down eight field goals, including his sixth 3 of the week, he really got it done at the stripe, going 13 for 17, with six coming in the final minute of the game.

Aurzarang got off to a bit of a slow start, scoring “only” 12 points in the first half. But he is not just a jump shooter or a 3-point specialist. His game is well rounded and when his shot isn’t falling, he has no problem driving to the basket and getting to the line.

And in the third quarter he took over to maintain the Bearcats’ lead. After Sequoia scored the first four points of the second half to close to 26-23, Auzarang scored off the bounce. He followed that with a fast break layup off a Wolfgram steal. He then knocked down his only 3-pointer of the night from the left elbow and he wrapped up the third quarter with a face-up jumper on the baseline.

“Incrementally, he got better (as a basketball player over the last three years),” Lui said.

Yet despite trailing for most of the game, Sequoia did not go down with a fight. Trailing by five with 21 seconds left, Fulton knocked down a 3 with 14 seconds to play to cut the Ravens’ deficit to just two points, 47-45. But Auzerang iced the game by hitting two free throws with six left and moments later the Bearcats were celebrating their championship.

“This team has so much heart and plays with a chip on their shoulder which has led to this success,” Lui said. “I couldn’t be any prouder of a group of young men.”

Girls’ basketball

San Mateo 48, Sequoia 30

The Bearcats wrapped up the PAL Ocean Division title with the win over the Ravens.

It is San Mateo’s second straight division crown as the Bearcats won the Lake Division crown last year. The Bearcats are currently riding a 20-game division winning streak as they wrapped up their second straight undefeated division season.

Even without post player Kaitlyn Schuh, who was out of town, the San Mateo (12-0 PAL Ocean, 20-4 overall) didn’t really miss her. Bella Fong, normally a guard, assumed Schuh’s forward spot and promptly posted her first double-double of the year, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Bearcats’ other post player, Violet MacAvoy, also had a double-double, adding 14 points and 10 boards. Yanira Nuñez added six points and came up with six steals for the Bearcats, as well.

Editor's note: this story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Zidane Auzarang and his point total of 30.