BAY VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE PREVIEW

Posted Jan 8 2010 1:33PM - By Jeff Patterson & James Farr, Bay Area Sports Channel
Category: Basketball

EAST BAY, Nor Cal - The race for the top spot in the Bay Shore Athletic League is wide open as four of the six teams enter league play with at least 8 wins. Heritage High has the most overall wins with 9, and is current 1-0 in league, defeating Freedom 64-60 January 2nd. The Patriots look to take advantage of the sudden collapse of the Pittsburgh High program to win the league title. They finished 10-5, tied for second with Deer Valley, and two games behind the Pirates a year ago.

Heritage has played a strong preseason schedule to prepare them for the tough road to a championship. Head coach Pat Cruickshank scheduled games against San Ramon Valley, Pleasant Grove, and Burbank, Sacramento. Seniors Sean Packard and Mark Winthrop led the Patriots in scoring in the win over Freedom. The Patriots also get solid contributions from Meniru Ofodu and Justin Bunting.

A critical stretch in the schedule comes when the Patriots play five out of six on the road, including three in a row at Liberty, Pittsburgh, and Antioch. So far, things are going well for Heritage as they are 2-0 in league including a big win at Deer Valley.

The surprise team of the BVAL so far has to be the Freedom High Falcons, who enter league play with a sparkling 8-1 record and just suffered their first loss of the year to Heritage. The Falcons have struggled in the past with last year’s 7-8 league record the best in the past five years. They have quality preseason wins over Skyline, Miramonte, and College Park.
Head Coach Drew Torres hopes his team can bounce back from tough loss and get back on track. The talented trio of Nick Blount, Andrew Garner, and Jeff Matteri provide the Patriots a solid nucleus and the ability to be competitive. The Patriots play four of their next five games at home, where they are 3-0 so far this year. They lost the first game to Heritage 64-60 and bounced back with a home win against Pittsburgh to even their record to 1-1.

The Deer Valley Wolverines are ready to stake their claim to the league title. They entered league play with an 8-3 record and a five game winning streak. The Wolverines preseason opponents included a win over McClymonds 56-48, and tough losses to Fremont and De La Salle. They are 1-1 in league, including a big home loss to Heritage.