From the sports archives: El Camino boys' basketball team clinches Bay crown with win over Woodside

Woodside came into the game having won four in a row, including wins over Burlingame and Mills — the two teams chasing El Camino for the Peninsula Athletic League title.

"I was nervous,” Junio said. "Woodside has been playing so well.”

He had a right to be nervous. The Wildcats gave the Colts everything they had, but in the end, El Camino had a little bit more as the Colts clinched the Bay Division crown with a 51-43 win.

Despite coming up short, Woodside coach Phillip White was satisfied with his team’s performance.

"My guys gave hell of an effort,” White said. "I’m proud of the way they battled. Our effort was outstanding.”

While El Camino’s "Big Three” of point guard Elijah White, and forwards Michael Smith and Anthony Knight have garnered most of the publicity this season, it was the play of senior forward Jalen Bitanga that put the Colts over the top. White, Smith and Knight combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Using an arsenal of spin moves and scoop shots, Bitanga accounted for a game-high 16 points and pulled down seven boards by himself.

"He’s our ‘X’ factor,” Junio said. "He’s just one of those guys who knows how to play basketball. [That scoop shot] is a weapon.”

Woodside was led by Matt Ennis’ 12 points. Mitchell Hickman added 11.

With Junio starting five seniors on Senior Night, it was Bitanga’s play early on that got El Camino (8-1 PAL Bay, 19-4 overall) going. He scored a team-leading six points in the first half and then all but iced the game when he scored six straight points late in the fourth quarter, pushing a 44-41 advantage to 50-41 with 52 seconds to play.

As has been a problem for Woodside this season, the Wildcats got off to slow starts in both halves, scoring just five points in the opening eight minutes and seven points in the third. In the second and fourth quarters, Woodside (4-5, 15-8) combined to score 31 points.

"We started the first half slow, the second half slow,” White said. "We missed some shots we’d ordinarily make.”

El Camino led 10-5 after the first quarter before Woodside made a run. Raul Rodriguez and Ricki Hoffer each hit 3-pointers on the first two shots of the quarter to trail 13-11 with 6:26 to play in the first half. A dribble-drive layup and a driving, double-clutch floater by Hoffer tied the game at 15 for Woodside. The teams stayed neck-and-neck the rest of the half. A Knight three-point play put El Camino up 20-17 midway through the second quarter, but Hoffer answered with his eighth and ninth points of the half. A dribble-drive layup gave the Colts a 22-19 advantage with 1:54 left, but back-to-back baskets by Ennis gave the Wildcats a 23-22 lead at halftime.

"The only concern we talked about (at halftime) was we were losing our focus on defense,” Junio said. "Our offense would come.”

The Colts took that message to heart in the third quarter, holding Woodside to just three field goals and a free throw. Meanwhile, the El Camino offense finally got going. The 15 points scored was the most in a quarter for the Colts in the game.

After Hickman hit a fastbreak layup to cut the El Camino lead to 31-28 with 3:38 left to play in the third, the Colts responded with a 6-2 run to end the period and take a 37-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

As the fourth quarter started, the Wildcats came out firing on all cylinders, scoring the first seven points to tie the game at 37 when Ennis grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup with 5:30 left to play. A White slashing drive to the basket put El Camino up two, 39-37, but Ennis answered with a pull-up jumper to tie the score again.

It would be as close as the Wildcats would get. El Camino took the lead for good on a White 3-pointer for a 42-39 lead with 4:40 left to play to ignite a 12-2 game-ending run.

"I’m glad we won, but I’m glad [Woodside] showed a lot of grit,” Junio said.

Said Woodside’s White: "We’re not battling for a league championship, but we’re trying to put ourselves in the best position for the PAL tournament, put ourselves in the best position for CCS.

"This (Woodside) team is a whole different team that lost four in a row (to start league play).”

San Mateo takes Lake Division title

Needing one win in their final two games to capture the Lake Division crown, the Bearcats wasted little time, pounding host Oceana 61-45.

San Mateo (6-1 PAL Lake, 13-10 overall) jumped all over Oceana (0-7) in the first quarter, outscoring the Sharks 21-3. San Mateo continued the onslaught in the second and third quarters, scoring 16 and 17 points, respectively. The Bearcats finally called off the dogs in the fourth quarter, scoring only seven.

San Mateo was led by Ben Skelton’s 20 points, with John Schrup adding 17.

"I thought we had a team that could [win the Lake title],” said San Mateo coach Julian Hudson. "But we didn’t put in the commitment over the summer. As things went on, we started playing better because we put in the time.

"We’re playing well now and that’s what counts.”

San Mateo’s only league loss was due to a forfeit for using an academically ineligible player. Hudson said he put the player in for a minute at the end of a blowout win, only to find out later he was not qualified to play.