Familiar foes HMB and SHP set for Nor Cal battle

The two programs have gone back and forth over the years, with HMB winning last year’s lone matchup, 65-63, in an early-season thriller at the Burlingame Lions Club Tournament at Hillsdale High School. The current personnel of both teams has been going head-to-head for nearly 10 years, dating back to their days with Coastside Basketball and the BullDawgs Basketball Club on the AAU circuit.

“When the brackets come out, you of course look who’s on the other side of the bracket,” HMB head coach John Parsons said, “and if you take care of business, who’s the most likely person going to be sitting on the other side of the bracket. So, I think a lot of people’s money would have been on Sacred Heart Prep coming out of their side. So, no surprise to us.”

SHP senior Alex Osterloh has been the Gators’ go-to guy in the postseason. In Saturday’s 60-54 home win over Burlingame in the Nor Cal regional semifinals, the 6-3 combo guard went for 25 points, falling just short of his career-high of 27 points, which he recorded Dec. 9, 2025, in SHP’s first win of the year over HMB.

In the CCS finals, he scored 16 points, and doing so by driving the paint fearlessly against HMB’s 6-9 senior center Owen Perez. After HMB forced overtime on a clutch 3-pointer from senior Gio Garduno-Martin at the end of regulation, the Cougars struck first in OT on a cutting layup by Garduno-Martin. But Osterloh fired right back, taking on HMB’s big post for a scoop layup that swirled the cylinder and fell to tie it 59-all.

Osterloh’s gutsy drive sparked a 10-0 Gators run to all but seal the win.

“I’ve played Half Moon Bay and Gio my whole life, and Owen, the big,” Osterloh said. “So, I know when to shoot, and when to not. And I found attacking and going up against him can be successful.”

No one on either side has been a bigger postseason force than Garduno-Martin. The 6-2 forward totaled 24 points and nine rebounds Saturday in the Cougars’ 68-51 win over Marysville in the Nor Cal regional semifinals. The senior was also the leading scorer in the CCS finals with 21 points, including a 3 at the end of regulation everyone in the Mission College gym could see coming from a mile away, including SHP head coach Jeff Wulbrun. Not that there was anything anyone could do to stop him.

“He’s as pure of a shooter as we’ve faced all season,” Wulbrun said. “Even at the end there, when we knew he wanted to shoot it, we couldn’t stop him.”

Despite two previous losses to SHP this season, the Cougars have been sizing up the Gators on the other side of the bracket, using the idea of a rematch as a source of motivation.

“I love it,” HMB junior Levi Meighan said. “We’ve looked forward to it, and it’s going to be blast playing them again.”

HMB shot 49.0% from the field in the CCS finals which, frighteningly, was an off-day for Parsons’ squad. Saturday against Marysville, the Cougars were dialed in to the tune of 57.8% from the field. In the CCS semifinals, an 83-59 victory, Feb. 26, against Menlo, Garduno-Martin and company shot at a 60.4% clip.

Granted, both those majority shooting percentages were on HMB’s home court. The CCS finals were at a neutral site, and Tuesday’s Nor Cal final will be in hostile territory at SHP. Still, the Cougars walked away from their last meeting with the Gators knowing they didn’t play their best brand of basketball.

“No, I don’t think so,” Meighan said. “I think we can play a lot better. They know us, we know them. So, it’s going to be a dogfight.”

Tuesday’s tipoff at McGanney Sports Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. Each program has made one previous trip to the Nor Cal finals. SHP, the No. 2 seed, advanced to the Nor Cal Division IV regional championship game in 2012, falling 69-38 to Salesian. HMB, seeded No. 5, got to the Nor Cal Division IV finals in 2023, claiming a 71-61 win over Chico to advance to the CIF state championship game.

“They know us, we know them,” Parsons said following Saturday’s win. “They got us the first two. So, this third one is the biggest one. So, we’re going to hopefully have a great practice on Monday and give it our best shot on Tuesday.”

Other San Mateo County teams playing for Nor Cal regional titles ...

Boys’ Division III

No. 4 Priory travels to Antioch to take on No. 3 Cornerstone Christian at 7 p.m. Priory has made to previous trips to the Nor Cal finals, falling 44-37 to Stuart Hall in 2022 in Division V, before capturing both the Division IV Nor Cal and state championships last season. Cornerstone Christian has won two previous Nor Cal titles, both at Division VI, in 2019 and ’24.

Girls’ Division III

No. 11 Menlo-Atherton travels to San Jose to take on No. 4 Valley Christian at 7 p.m. M-A has one previous Nor Cal championship appearance, falling 59-46 to Oakland Tech in the 2019 Division IV finals. It is the third Nor Cal championship appearance for Valley Christian, with losses in the 2007 Division IV finals, and in the 2018 Division II finals.