photos and story by Khristan Antoine
Wednesday was a night of mixed emotions and results for McClymonds: the Warriors dominated Merced, although they let their huge lead slip. In the end, they won 56-45. The girls lost in a tight game.
The boys face San Ramon Valley in San Ramon Saturday at 6pm in the next round.
“We didn’t think it would be so tough,” said Deion Ellis. “Their goal was to take me out, but we switched it up on defense and we rattled their guard.”
Although defense was the key, McClymonds featured three double-digit scorers in Mike Walker (17), Deshawn Nelson (13) and Ellis (11).
The Lady Warriors lost 45-43 to Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove in a tight game with lead changes, as McClymonds seemed to run out of steam in the crucial final minutes. Daisy Powell led with 22 points and Gabby Gaines had 14.
“It was a close game, nobody expected our season to end the way it did,” said J’Mya Gray-Martinez, freshman.
Warriors face next big challenge: #1 seed
After winning the OAL championship, the Warriors win two playoff games
by Anthony Beron
The Warriors (21-8 with 12 straight wins) are hoping that Danville brings them luck.
After all, that’s where they beat #4 seed San Ramon Valley 57-48 in the CIF Northern California Division 1 quarterfinals Saturday night.
Tomorrow, they play the #1 seed, Monte Vista, who beat them 65-24 in December.
Teamwork, strong defense and a slam dunk at the buzzer by OAL Player of the Year Deion Ellis sealed the deal for McClymonds. Ellis, a 6-foot-4 senior, had 18 points and Mike Walker, a 6-foot guard, had 10.
“We expect them to come out hard, but we have every piece of the puzzle this time,” said Tyrone Spivey, a senior.
“The last time we played them they beat us by 40 points, but that’s because we wouldn’t cooperate and some of our players couldn’t play,” said Spivey. “It was also the day after when our old head coach was fired.”
Leave a comment
Posted in Basketball, CIF regional championship, Commentary, community, high school newspaper, hype, Mack sports, resilience, rigor, rivalry, School News, school spirit, stress, success, Trends, West Oakland, work, Youth
Tagged boys basketball, california high school basketball, highly ranked boys varsity basketball, McClymonds basketball, mcclymonds school news, monte vista, monte vista basketball