Prep roundup: Montgomery boys stun Cardinal Newman in basketball

In the traditional boys basketball rivalry game between Montgomery and Cardinal Newman, it isn't often that the home team loses by 15 points or more. However, it happened twice this season, after the visiting Vikings shot the lights out on Friday night to down the suddenly slumping Cardinals 61-45 in the regular-season finale of the North Bay League-Oak Division.

Earlier in the season, the Cardinals (20-6, 6-4) defeated the Vikings 41-26 at Montgomery (15-11, 6-4). The teams tied for second place in the regular-season standings. The rematch was all Vikings, who canned 11 of 20 from behind the 3-point line, a high for Montgomery this season.

“We shot the ball really well. We aren't a team that hits a large amount of threes,” Montgomery coach Zac Tiedeman said. “This was the best offensive and shooting night of the year for us.”

Montgomery was led by Brandon Lucas (17 points on 5-of-8 3-pointers), Jack Svoma (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Nolan Bessire (8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).

“Cardinal Newman is a physical team, so we had to work for good shots. We rebounded well and didn't give up many second-chance points,” Tiedeman said. “Our defense did well holding a team like that to 45 points.”

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are reeling, having lost three games in a row and currently punching below their weight going into the postseason.

“We aren't defending as well or shooting as well as we were earlier in the season,” Cardinal Newman coach Tom Bonfigli said. “We aren't playing at the same defensive level. We have to play better defense.”

Cardinal Newman was outrebounded by Montgomery 39-26 and has allowed opponents to convert 22 3-pointers in the past two games (11 by Windsor).

“Montgomery played an outstanding game. They were excellent on both sides of the ball. They have some guys that can shoot. They beat us in every facet of the game,” Bonfigli said. “I can't remember the last time we got beat that bad in our own gym.”

Cardinal Newman was led by Giancarlo Woods with 13 points.

Piner 75, Windsor 59

The host Prospectors (23-2, 10-0) finished the NBL-Oak regular season undefeated and in first place by defeating Windsor (10-16, 4-6) after a slow start.

“Going undefeated (in league) is a good accomplishment for the boys. They did a good job,” Piner coach Mike Erickson said. “Windsor played a good game. It took a really good game from us to beat them.”

Windsor led 23-18 at the end of the first quarter thanks to hitting four 3-pointers in the quarter. Piner came back to win the second quarter 21-10 to lead 39-33 at halftime.

“In the first quarter, Windsor moved it around and got some good looks and knocked them in,” Erickson said. “In the second quarter we tightened it up on defense and got back in the game. We got some easy layups in transition.”

Piner outscored Windsor in the second half, 32-21, to win the game going away.

“We got some second- and third-chance opportunities in the second half by being aggressive on the glass,” Erickson said. “In the fourth quarter, Windsor fouled us and we made our free throws down the stretch.”

Piner was paced by Adonis Guitierrez (23 points), Jordin Lovelace (15 points) and Jared Saddler (12 points).

Windsor was led by Donte Mendoza (21 points) and Billy Boyle (11 points).

Cloverdale 62, Middletown 26

In a North Central I League game, the visiting Eagles (20-3, 11-1) easily defeated the Mustangs (11-11, 5-7) to remain in second place.

“We penetrated against the Middletown zone. We did a really good job of being patient and not forcing shots. We made the extra pass,” Cloverdale coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “This team is one of the best teams I've ever had. They play together.”

Cloverdale was led by Dylan Muller (13 points), Josh Lemley (12 points) and Shayne Turner (10 points).

Middletown struggled offensive and played without two star players, who were absent due to a family matter.

Clear Lake 64, Fort Bragg 40

The host first-place Cardinals (21-3, 12-0) relied on a 24-7 edge in the third quarter to defeat the third-place Timberwolves (17-7, 8-4) in an NCLI league matchup.

The game was tied 12-12 after the first quarter and the Cardinals held a slim 28-24 lead going into the break before coming out of the locker room to win the decisive third quarter. Clear Lake won the fourth quarter 12-9.

In boys soccer:

Montgomery 7, Santa Rosa 0

The visiting Vikings (18-0, 8-0) clinched the regular-season NBL-Oak title with two games to play with a runaway victory over the overmatched Panthers (2-10-2, 1-7-1).

“It was a good game. We continue to play well in league,” Montgomery coach Jon Schwan said. “We defended well in Santa Rosa's half of the field.”

The game was scoreless when Montgomery erupted at the 10-minute mark and scored seven goals in a span of 20 minutes to ice the game.

“Montgomery is a very talented team. They are a physical team and bigger than us. They wait for other teams to make mistakes,” Santa Rosa coach Daniel Garcia said. “We are a young team. Hopefully they will take this as a learning lesson.”

The Vikings' offense was led by Miguel Bustos (2 goals), Drayden Ponte (goal, 2 assists), Jack Medin (goal) and Zack Batchelder (3 goals, 2 assists), who has 35 goals for the season.

Piner 3, Roseland University Prep 0

The host second-place Prospectors (10-2-4, 6-1-3) scored two goals off corner kicks in the first half and an insurance goal off a counter-attack in the second half to sink the sixth-place Knights (6-7-3, 3-6-1) in an NBL-Redwood matchup.

“When we scored on two set pieces, that really set the tone,” Piner coach Sean Sutherland said. “We wanted to make sure we were very fluid in our runs. We put a little pressure on RUP's defensive third and they finally cracked.”

Diego Guiterrez scored on the first corner kick in the 20th minute and Nick Latorre on the second set piece in the 30th minute. Alexis Dominguez earned two assists by serving up both corner kicks.

“Piner is an offensive powerhouse this year. They are probably the best offense in the league,” RUP coach Augustin Fonzeca said. “We lost our mark on their first corner-kick goal and failed to clear it on the second one and Piner punished us for it.”

Piner added a third goal in the 50th minute as Danny Mendoza converted a 15-yard shot on a counter-attack.

“We tried to gamble a little bit in the second half but when Piner scored their third goal, it was game over,” Fonzeca said.

Meanwhile, RUP's offense was bottled up by the stingy Prospectors defense.

“Our defense did a fantastic job,” Sutherland said. “Our defense played a pivotal role in our win.”

Piner goalkeeper Lois Quiroz made five saves for the game and RUP goalie Jobani Sanchez had five saves in the first half.