Santa Cruz vs. Serra recap from NorCalPreps.com -- Santa Clara U. BRONCO Hoops (and other sports) Forum

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Date Posted: 12:34:05 12/24/04 Fri
Author: dent
Subject: Santa Cruz vs. Serra recap from NorCalPreps.com
In reply to: SCU06 's message, "Sammet" on 00:26:50 12/24/04 Fri

Santa Cruz schools the WCAL
Curt Bianchi, NorCalPreps.com

With dominating road victories against St. Ignatius and Serra, Santa Cruz left no doubt that it is a force to be reckoned with in the Central Coast Section.

After the final buzzer sounded on Santa Cruz' 63-46 victory over host Junipero Serra, the crowd began to head for the exits and a Serra fan passed by, muttering about his Padres, "That's the worst I've seen 'em play." That's one way of putting it. How about this: Santa Cruz is really, really good.

Fresh off a 72-40 thrashing of St. Ignatius on Tuesday, the Cardinals hit the road for the second time in three nights to take on a West Catholic Athletic League foe. This was a game I had made note of as soon as I saw the schedules - an anticipated match-up featuring two of the top-rated teams in the CCS. But it turned out to be a one-sided affair, as Santa Cruz dismantled Serra in no uncertain terms.

Santa Cruz showed its mettle from the opening tip. 5-foot-6 point guard Junior Russell stole the ball on Serra's first possession and fed 6-foot-8 Cliff Sammet, who was fouled and hit a free throw. Then Russell scored and found Chris Sharp for another basket, Sammet blocked a Tommy McMahon shot attempt, Russell pulled up and nailed a three, and it was 8-0. Another Sammet block, another Russell pull-up three-pointer, another Russell steal, and it was 13-4. Another Russell steal, another Sammet block, and it was 17-4 at the end of the quarter. The way I had it figured, Serra got off 12 shots, made two, and had four blocked. Things didn't get any better for the Padres the rest of the way.

The second quarter began with yet another Sammet block and Russell three. Sammet was simply ferocious on the defensive end, going after shots with abandon. The only thing that slowed him down was his second foul with 6:24 to go, sending him to the bench for the rest of the half. It occurred on one of Sammet's prettiest plays of the night, when he rose with perfect timing to meet the ball just as the driving Will Powers reached the top of his leap and tried to release his shot. With Sammet on the bench, Russell and 6-foot-4 wing Austin Swift, last year's Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League MVP, kept Santa Cruz humming along, with Swift hitting three of four shots.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz played superbly as a defensive unit and Serra generated hardly any offense. Their poor shooting continued in the second quarter, when they went 2-13 from the field by my count. Chaz Thomas, who did not start and was said to be under the weather, could only muster three shots the entire game, two of which were of the 35-foot variety. He didn't score, and he spent little time inside the three-point line on offense, much less in the lane. 6-foot-6 Penn-bound Tommy McMahon faired little better, going 2-6 in the half for four points - the only points he would score in the game. With nothing working offensively, he also settled for long three-point shot attempts. Worse, two of them were blocked, one each by Swift and Sammet. As well as McMahon played in Serra's previous game against Woodside, on this night he (and the rest of the Padres) was outclassed.

Santa Cruz took a 33-13 lead into the third quarter when Decensae White scored six consecutive points to breathe some life into the Padres. But SantaDecember 24, 2004
Cruz went on a 15-5 run to go up by 26, helped in part by Serra's second technical foul - both caused when the Padres lost their composure. In contrast, Santa Cruz played with remarkable poise. Their demeanor was all business. They didn't take bad shots. Their point guard Russell let nothing phase him, and was very effective on both ends of the floor. Epitomizing the Cardinals' night was the last play of the third quarter, when Russell held the ball above the three point line for the final shot, then dashed past his defender, drawing Swift's defender too him as well. Russell flicked a pass to a man in the corner, who quickly swung it back to Swift for a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Santa Cruz a 53-34 lead headed into the fourth quarter. They made it look easy.

Austin Swift led the Cardinals with 20 points, seven assists, and two three-pointers. The Montana-bound senior was effective from all over the floor, and Serra had no one to stop him. Russell finished with 19 points, 6 for 9 from the field, 3 for 5 from downtown. He also had five assists and six steals. Sammet finished with seven points and eight blocks.

White led all scorers with 24 points, including four of five from downtown. Far more aggressive than he was against Woodside, you could see his confidence grow as the game wore on. He scored seven of Serra's 13 first half points, and was the only Padre to consistently take the ball to the hole, going to the line ten times. It was truly a fine performance, and if he can summon the will to play like that every game, the 6-foot-6 junior has the potential to be one of the best players in the WCAL.

Next up for the 10-1 Cardinals is the St. Francis Holiday Tournament, which starts on December 28. The Padres (4-3) head down to Fremont for the Tim Cole Memorial Tournament at American High, which also starts on the 28th.

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Replies:

[> [> Re: Santa Cruz vs. Serra recap from NorCalPreps.com -- SCU06, 20:48:43 12/24/04 Fri

I have not heard from any SCU people that Mark Grieb would even be considered if the job become avaliable. It was just some wishful thinking on my part because I believe he would do a great job at SCU. Gonzaga has raised the bar for basketball in the WCC; why not try to "steal" their next head coach.

Merry Christmas To All!!

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[> [> [> Thanks '06 -- Bronco66, 21:26:53 12/31/04 Fri

great to have some new, younger blood on the board ... thanks for your contributions and insights ...

It's got to be tough for the younger and especially the currently enrolled Broncos to be suffering though this drought ...

let us hope that the lads in Bronco Red catch some fire for the rest of the season ... perhaps the Double-Double from Doron and the 50% + shooting of KB at Provo is a harbinger of good things to come -- now the Bigs need to get it where they can ...

again ought-six ... welcome to the board ... and tell your friends ... the more thoughts here the better

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