Half Moon Bay boys’ basketball sweeps Jefferson to take control of PAL North Division

“This was huge because going into this, both us and Jefferson were undefeated in league,” HMB head coach John Parsons said. “So, by us winning, we have a two-game lead on everyone on the league.”

HMB won Monday’s series opener 57-38 behind a dynamic rebounding performance by 6-7 sophomore Jaeden Hutchins, who finished with 17 boards.

Wednesday’s rematch wasn’t always pretty, though. HMB came out shooting at its typical surefire clip, going 3 of 6 from 3-point territory in the first quarter. Over the final three periods, however, the Cougars shot an abysmal 1 of 16 from beyond the arc.

“It’s a little uncommon for us,” Parsons said. “But we are a young team, so we are a little bit up and down.”

And while Monday’s win saw HMB exploit an advantage in the post — with Jefferson missing one of its top rebounders — the Grizzlies returned to full strength on the boards Wednesday. HMB’s response was to ratchet up its defense, which was the key to victory, according to third-year senior forward Owen Wooliever.

“First game we beat them with our size, second game we beat them with our defense,” Wooliever said.

And Wooliever sealed the win with a clutch shot down the stretch.

Jefferson (4-2, 12-6) made it interesting when junior guard Drew Takahashi drilled a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to cut HMB’s lead to 50-47. But at the other end, the Cougars got Wooliever in motion out of the corner for a crisp pass from junior point guard Dio Lucido, and Wooliever converted the cutting layup with nine seconds to play.

“It was a high ball screen, I saw Dio come down the lane — I was in the right corner and my guy was coming over to me and turned his head from me, and I cut to the basket — and Dio made a great pass to me, and I just finished it,” Wooliever said.

The bucket all but sealed the win, and outright possession of first place in the PAL North Division, for the Cougars.

“I was pretty hyped after that shot,” Wooliever said. “I knew it was a three-point game so … I knew. They’re a great team. They were hitting some big shots. But it was a nice feeling being able to push it out of reach.”

Hutchins led the way with 16 points and added seven rebounds. Wooliever added 11 points, while Lucido and junior guard Drew Dorwin each scored nine.

“We’re feeling good,” Parsons said. “It was an ugly win for us. But any win against Jefferson is good. They’re just a scrappy group and (head coach) John Falabella always does a good job with his guys.”

With the loss, Jefferson falls into a second-place tie with South City (4-2, 10-6). The Warriors got past Oceana Wednesday night for a 44-43 victory.

In girls’ basketball action, the Lady Cougars (5-0 PAL North, 13-4 overall) also finished off a sweep to lock down first place in the PAL North, taking down second-place Jefferson (4-2, 12-5) for the second straight game 48-30.

Alli Dioli led HMB with 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Abby Kennedy poured in three 3s for 15 points, while sophomore Emily Lunasin added two 3s.