Black Bears too much for PSAL

Since entering the PSAL for the 2018 season, the Black Bears, as a program, have dominated. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have won four straight Private School Athletic League titles and have combined for a 78-game PSAL winning streak — the boys’ streak is at 40, the girls’ have won 38 straight league games. Neither has lost a game in PSAL play since late in the 2019-20 season.

And it’s not so much the winning, it’s the sheer dominance. The Gentlemen Black Bears, which are 68-12 in PSAL play since 2018, won games Monday and Tuesday by a combined score of 171-27, scoring 80 Monday and 91 Tuesday. Through eight PSAL games this season, Summit Shasta is winning by an average score of 73-25 and have had three games in which they20 have scored 90 or more points. They are currently the No. 1-ranked team in the Central Coast Section Division V bracket by MaxPreps.com.

During the 2023 PSAL season, Summit Shasta won a game 70-0.

The Lady Black Bears have been just as potent, having posted a record of 59-5 since joining the PSAL beginning in 2018. They are also 8-0 in league play in 2024. In the 2023 and 2024 league seasons combined, Summit Shasta has allowed 20 points or more just four times. Their average margin of victory last year was 77-16 and, on their way to the CCS Division V title, they won their second-round game 90-10, their semifinal matchup 70-20 and then waltzed past Priory, 64-39 in the championship game.

But that’s not all. Both Black Bears squads have more than held their own outside of PSAL play, having scheduled a number of Peninsula Athletic League and West Bay Athletic League teams over the last several years. Not just being competitive, but winning more often than not. For example, the Lady Black Bears, during the 2022-23 season, had a 26-point win over El Camino, beat Mercy-Burlingame by 34 and lost by just six to Mills.

The WBAL would be a perfect landing spot for both the Summit Shasta teams. Already the home of Division IV and Division V programs, with similar sizes of enrollment, the Black Bears would fit in seamlessly.

If the WBAL isn’t it, then Summit Shasta may have to think about leaving the CCS and making a move to the NCS as a member of the Bay Counties League-West, which is comprised of small, private schools in San Francisco and Marin County, including the likes of University, Urban and Marin Academy.

In no way am I blaming Summit Shasta for being too good and taking advantage of overmatched teams. The Black Bears can only play those opponents on the schedule and right now, that means PSAL blowouts, for the most part.

But that’s no fun for either team.

***

Summit Shasta doesn’t have to look very far to see the benefits of competitive equity. The Peninsula Athletic League went to power divisions for the first time since the 2012 league season and the results show a lot more competitive games throughout the divisions.

Take Tuesday night’s PAL girls’ scores, for example. Mills beat Carlmont, 57-54, in a thrilling overtime game. That win gave the Vikings sole possession of first place in the Bay Division after Aragon’s dramatic, double-OT victory over Menlo-Atherton, 60-57, that dropped the Bears to second place.

But let’s look at the rest of the PAL results from Tuesday night. There were eight games played across the Bay, Ocean and Lake divisions. Three of those eight were decided by three points or fewer, including Terra Nova’s 42-40 win over Capuchino. One game had an eight-point spread and the differentials in the other four games were 11, 12, and 13 twice — respectively.

Overall, the average margin of victory in eight games as 8.3 points.

Now, let’s compare that to the similar point in the season during the 2023 PAL schedule, when the league was still divided by geography — North and South. I looked up the results of South Division from the first week of February, which was Game 9 of a 12-game league schedule.

The only close game of the night was Menlo-Atherton-Carlmont, with the Bears holding on for a five-point win, 51-46. In the only other game decided by 10 points or less, Sequoia got past Woodside, 35-25.

The other three South Division game margins? Hillsdale won its game by 31, Aragon won by 29, Mills cruised to an 18-point win.

The average margin of victory on that 2023 night was 18.5 points.

That 2023 Sequoia squad, which finished 4-8 in South Division play and made it to the second round of CCS, had league losses of 44, 30 and 25 points twice. This season, the Ravens are 5-2 after Tuesday’s 39-26 win over Jefferson and tied with Westmoor for the Ocean Division lead with three games remaining.

It’s a similar story for the Sequoia boys, who went into Wednesday’s game against Westmoor looking to stay alive in the PAL Lake Division race. It’s a far cry from the 2022-23 season that saw the Ravens lose their first 21 games in a row and win just one game in PAL South Division play, during a season that included a 69-6 loss to Menlo-Atherton.

Sequoia athletic director Melissa Schmidt said attendance is still down from two years ago and she’s not surprised. She realizes it will take fans and a school’s community to warm up to the changes. She also realizes rebuilding a team doesn’t happen over night.

“Beating Oceana (in a Lake Division game) hasn’t brought kids back,” Schmidt said. “Honestly, people weren’t showing up when we were losing [69-6]. People stopped showing up for those games (last year). The community doesn’t turn out to watch you get run over.

“It’s been good for the kids (this season) because we’re in competitive games. … It gives you something to play for and your fans something to cheer for.”

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.