The Bishop Diego boys’ basketball team completed an undefeated run through Tri-Valley League play with a 66-55 victory over Foothill Tech on Friday night at the Brickhouse.
Six Bishop Diego players — Aidan Padilla, Damien Krautman, Tua Rojas, John Michael Flint, JJ Mercier and Sam Crawford — were honored pregame for senior day. But the true celebration came postgame, as the Cardinals were excited to reach one of their goals.
“It feels great. I’m proud of the players,” said Bishop Diego first-year head coach Caleb Richey of his team’s 8-0 record in the Tri-Valley League. “They set some goals for themselves this season, and I feel like we can do something great going forward into the playoffs.”
Visiting Foothill Tech started the game strong, jumping out to a 13-2 lead midway through the first quarter on a basket inside by senior guard Nick Turner.
However, the Cardinals stormed back with a 13-6 run to close out the first quarter, capped off by a corner three-pointer from Rudy Blue.
In the second quarter, Bishop Diego locked in defensively and outscored the Dragons 16-6 to take a 31-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Crew Sjovold scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as the Cardinals pulled away. His consistency as a junior has been a key to Bishop Diego’s success.
“We started slow. We were maybe a little nervous from the crowd and senior night, but we got it going,” Sjovold said. “We played good defense, relied on defensive intensity, and we made shots.”
The lead ballooned to 53-34 early in the fourth quarter as Foothill Tech went through an extended drought before rediscovering its offense in garbage time.
Blue finished with 13 points for Bishop Diego, and Shane Kwizera chipped in 10 points.
With the victory, the Cardinals improved to 20-3 overall. Bishop Diego will conclude the regular season with a tough non-league contest against Legacy Christian Academy of Valencia.
Santa Barbara 84, Ventura 57
The Dons clinched at least a share of the Channel League title with a decisive victory over visiting Ventura.
Levi Oakes finished with a game-high 18 points, and Owen Horn added 16 points as the Dons exploded for 47 points in the first half. Eleven Santa Barbara players reached the scoring column.
Santa Barbara is now 18-8 overall and 12-1 in Channel League play.
San Marcos 63, Buena 42
The Royals extended their winning streak to eight games and improved to 20-6 overall.
Aidan Conlan led the way with 24 points, and Koji Hefner chipped in 21 points.
“Really sloppy game in the first half from us, but happy to get out of there with a win,” said San Marcos coach Matt Jordan. “Buena played super hard tonight and showed a ton of fight. Credit to them.”
Pacifica 50, Dos Pueblos 40
The Chargers came out on the short end of a defensive slugfest and dropped a crucial Channel League contest.
“We had a hard time scoring tonight and taking care of the ball, but it was fitting that two of our seniors, Coulter and Evan, led us in scoring,” said Dos Pueblos coach Joe Zamora. “Evan finished with 14 and Coulter had 10, but it was more than the scoring that made a difference. Their composure and leadership really helped out our younger guys who haven’t been in a position like this before.”
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