MLK Classic: Salesian’s depth, defense wear down Modesto Christian in showcase win
CONCORD — Salesian’s dominance didn’t come all at once.
Possession by possession, stop by stop, the Pride applied a familiar pressure on Monday night at De La Salle. The Richmond school leaned on its depth, discipline and defensive bite to slowly put the air out of a program it knows all too well.
By the time the final horn sounded, Salesian had authored a composed 74-62 win.
The victory marked the second time this season Salesian has beaten Modesto Christian this season, though this one carried more weight than the first, when the Crusaders were short handed.
“A good team like that is really hard to beat twice,” Salesian senior guard Elias Obenyah said. “The first time we saw them, they didn’t have all their players. Just to be able to beat them a second time and work on the things we do in practice was great. I was really proud of our guys.”
The two programs share a long, intertwined history defined by playoff clashes and high-stakes moments. Led by Obenyah and Carlton Perrilliat Jr., Salesian withered away at Modesto Christian with timely shot-making and relentless defense, using waves of contributors to halt every Crusader run.
Monday’s game could easily just be part two of a possible rubber match between the two teams as Salesian could very well see Modesto Christian in a NorCal Open Division playoff game.
“This game was very important because we think they’re going to be an open team, and that plays a factor in playoff seeding,” Salesian coach Bill Mellis said. “Seeing where we’re at playing against a really good team midseason is important because we don’t get a ton of games like that.”
Salesian held a six-point lead at halftime, but it never felt like the Pride were going to let their grip go on the game. A 14-5 run to open the third quarter quickly gave Salesian a 15-point lead early in the third.
But a strong push from Modesto Christian, led by the playmaking of crafty guard Trevor Dickson, cut the Salesian lead to eight going into the final 10 minutes.
Despite a strong push from the Central Valley school, Salesian’s depth and athleticism kicked into high gear to close out the game. A thunderous fastbreak slam from Perrilliat early in the fourth quarter signaled the end for Modesto Christian.
While the Crusaders went tit-for-tat with the Pride down the stretch, Modesto Christian was outpaced by Salesian’s efficient offense.
“With Modesto Christian, we knew they were an efficient shooting team,” Obenyah said. “I think with how close the game got, we knew we had to stop their offensive rebounding. They’re a really good team, so just to slow them down in a game like this means a lot.”
Obenyah led Salesian with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Perrilliat had 21 points and four rebounds.
The Pride will play St. Patrick-St. Vincent on Tuesday before playing in a big-time matchup against St. Joseph’s-Santa Maria at the Crush in the Valley showcase at Napa Valley College on Saturday night. St. Joseph’s easily handled showcase host De La Salle in a 62-43 win on Monday.
“That game has become the biggest game of the season for us,” Mellis said. “You just never know where they will be placed, whether that’s in the North or the South when it comes to playoff time. This is a big determination of who would get the home game. So that’s an important game next week for sure.”
No. 2 Archbishop Riordan 66, San Joaquin Memorial 45
The Crusaders pulled away in the second half to cruise to their eighth straight win. Junior Emmanuel Ahamefule led Riordan with 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior JP Pihtovs mimicked Ahamefule’s stat line, also scoring 13 points and grabbing seven boards. Riordan was without San Francisco-bound point guard Andrew Hilman for the second straight game, and his status going into Tuesday’s game against Archbishop Mitty will be a game-time decision.
No. 8 The King’s Academy 60, Riverside Poly 52
Both teams didn’t have their marquee players as TKA sophomore star Boss Mhoon missed his fifth straight game with an ankle injury while Riverside Poly was missing St. Mary’s College-bound guard Jrob Croy. In the end, it was TKA that found a way to win. The Knights earned a bounce back win after falling to Clayton Valley just two days prior behind 18 points from Claxton Ladine. Point guard Xavier Barnett scored 16 points and became TKA’s all-time leading scorer, eclipsing Jon Taylor’s 1,181-point mark.
St. Joseph’s-Santa Maria 62, No. 11 De La Salle 43
The Knights were utterly dominant in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 35-24 in what became a blowout win. Malcolm Price poured in 20 points, Gunner Morinini added 15 and Julius Price had 14. Ibrahim Monawar led De La Salle with 13 points and Davit Pachulia scored 12. De La Salle (17-3) will host Amador Valley on Tuesday.
No. 12 Moreau Catholic 68, Palma 48
Moreau cruised to its fifth straight victory, defeating Palma behind a flurry of dunks from 6-foot-10 sophomore Brendan Williams. Williams finished with 21 points while Isaiah Clendinen had 16 points. Moreau moved to 14-3.
No. 16 Bishop O’Dowd 78, Sacramento 69
The Dragons high-flying fast break attack was on full display in a comfortable win over uber athletic Sacramento High. Senior Kaiden Gibbs scored a team-high 20 points, Naas Griffin added 18 and GJ Hill-Thomas chipped in 14 for the East Oakland school. After beating California on Saturday, O’Dowd has now rattled off back-to-back impressive wins since getting upset by Alameda on Thursday. The Dragons are now 12-6.