Drew Wagner shoots Sacred Heart Prep hoops past crosstown M-A

“That’s the main thing, a lot of these kids know each other really well, so I think that makes it special,” SHP head coach Tony Martinelli said. “There’s just a lot of excitement around the game. A lot of people show up and, back-to-back years, we’ve given them pretty good games.”

Wagner’s go-ahead 3 was a stunner from well back of the arc.

With SHP trailing 51-49, big man Matthew Norris set a screen at the top of the key, and Wagner took a pass five feet behind the top of the key. An M-A defender rushed to the spot, but Wagner’s quick release gave him a clean look to convert the go-ahead 3. The senior finished with a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers.

“I don’t think that’s a very defensible shot,” M-A head coach Mike Molieri said. “Even if we were slow on switches, on the screen, he made a shot that was beyond the NBA (line).”

The Bears (14-6) overcame an early 20-5 deficit, ultimately taking their first lead at 43-42 on a baseline layup by Justin Moore with 5:43 remaining in regulation. SHP tied it 49-49 from the free-throw line with 1:25 to go, but, at the other end, John Anderson got to the line for M-A, converting 2 of 2 free throws to make it 51-49.

After Wagner’s 3 put SHP ahead, Anderson, who finished with a team-high 17 points, drew a double team on M-A’s final possession. That left David Baron open on the wing from just in front of the M-A bench, but the senior’s 3-point attempt was off the mark.

“But he had a good look,” Molieri said of the 3-point attempt despite trailing by 1. “So, we wouldn’t second guess that shot if we make it.”

The rebound went directly to SHP guard TJ O’Brien, who was fouled and put the game away with a cool pair of free throws. O’Brien finished with 11 points, while Norris — in the 6-5 junior’s third game back from injury — scored 12. Baron, Moore and sophomore Jacob Sutton each scored eight for M-A.

Martinelli credited SHP’s defense, highlighted by 6-3 senior Erick Osterloh drawing a critical charging foul in the closing minutes.

“In a game like this, you need senior leadership, and that’s what I credit the team with … more so on the defensive end,” Martinelli said.

For M-A — ranked No. 7 in the Central Coast Section — the Saturday matchup was part of a tough two-game turnaround. In a late start Friday night, the Bears fell 52-48 to Half Moon Bay, ranked No. 9 in CCS and the first-place team in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division. SHP is ranked No. 5 in CCS.

Molieri said he has traditionally relied on tough Saturday matchups in previous years, before the PAL transitioned to the power-league format this season.

“It’s been very difficult and that’s something I had to adjust with the power league,” Molieri said. “We like to play on weekends because we hadn’t been having very competitive games on Friday night. … I have to, with the schedule, change my train of thought.”

M-A has been hindered by injuries, with two starters out of action against both HMB and SHP. Molieri said he expects injured shooter Trevor Cadigan and injured point guard Jonah Missan to return this week.

“What we’ve shown in these last two games against teams that I’d vote as [CCS Open Division] teams, we’ve shown that we can play with some of those Open teams,” Molieri said. “A play here, a play there, that’s what we’ve got to do. … We’ve got to figure out these end of game situations. We’re just not finishing.”

M-A girls rally back, overtake SHP in final minute

Avary Sheldon drove to the hoop with 39 seconds to go to convert a go-ahead layup, delivering Menlo-Atherton girls’ basketball (13-7) to a 35-34 victory. It was the first M-A lead since a narrow 19-17 advantage midway through the third quarter.

Sheldon finished with eight points, while Tava added a team-high nine.

SHP (10-7) is averaging 42 points per game this season. Opponents have averaged just 37.7 points per game against M-A.