NorCal Tip-Off Classic Recaps

Here’s the results and recaps from the 17th Annual NorCal Tip-Off Classic at Dublin High School. State No. 9 De La Salle is impressive in its season opener and state No. 11 Redondo Union goes 2-0 on early-season NorCal road trip. Two overtime games also highlight nine-game slate, with best game of the day a 70-68 victory by No. 29 Lincoln of Stockton over No. 20 San Ramon Valley of Danville.   

RELATED: To see 2024-25 preseason state rankings, CLICK HERE ; To see the list of major tournaments and showcases involving California’s best teams, CLICK HERE; To see a list of all-time preseason No. 1 boys basketball teams (since 1979-80), CLICK HERE ; To see the vast list of transfers that will impact the 2024-25 season, CLICK HERE

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2024 NorCal Tip-Off Classic Results
(Teams listed by CalHiSports.com preseason state ranking)

Game 9: Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 79, No. 17 Modesto Christian 75 (OT)

Moreau Catholic (1-1) started its season with a 79-53 loss to defending CIF D1 state champ and preseason state No. 33 Oakland Tech on Friday night and Mariners’ coach Frank Knight obviously expected a better performance from his team in the NorCal Tip-Off nightcap a bit more than 24 hours later. He got a better showing and overcame a late fourpoint deficit to force overtime before gutting out a four-point victory behind some tough buckets by senior Dominic Walker in the extra period.

Walker finished with 20 points and the game was finally clinched on three made free throws by 5-foot-11 senior Jalen Thomas in the final 25 seconds of the game. Walker’s performance and Thomas’ free throws off set a terrific performance by Modesto Christian’s Gavin Sykes, who scored 38 points in a losing effort.

The Mariners jumped out on the Crusaders early and led 23-13 after one period. Modesto Christian (0-1) trailed at halftime 37-27, but it seemed as if the Mariners were dominating by more than it showed on the scoreboard. The Long Beach State-bound Sykes scored 15 points in the first half for the Crusaders. Walker had 12 points in the first half for Moreau Catholic.

The Crusaders trailed 44-39 with 2:30 to go in the third period on a pull up jumper by Sykes, who went to work in the second half to get his team back in the game. Modesto Christian got within two points (44-42) on a 3-pointer by Zaire Nelson, but Moreau Catholic’s Cole Loud (15 points) scored at the buzzer to make it a four-point game (46-42) heading into the final period.

The Crusaders finally caught Moreau Catholic at 46-46 on a driving layup by Sykes after trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Mariners’ Kellen Hampton, a forward bound for Pacific who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, answered with a 3-pointer. Sykes then answered with a 3-pointer for the Crusaders to tie the game at 49-49 with just under six minutes remaining. The Crusaders took the lead on a free throw by Kevin Vales and kept the Mariners at bay courtesy of tough, contested buckets by Sykes. He scored with 1:13 remaining to make it 59-55.

With 40.5 seconds remaining, Myles Jones, a junior guard who has already given Stanford a verbal commit, knocked down two free throws to give Modesto Christian a 61-57 led, but Hampton quickly answered with a basket to make it 61-59. Moreau had a chance to tie the game, but Sykes came up with a clutch block on a Kareem Jackson Jr. field goal attempt with just under 20 seconds remaining that led to two made free throws by Elijah Payne to make it 63-59.

With 10.4 seconds remaining, Moreau Catholic’s Isaiah Clendinen made a 3-pointer to make it 63-62, then Sykes was fouled with 9.4 ticks left. He made one of two from the charity stripe to give his team a 64-62 lead, and Loud tied the game with 1.2 seconds remaining on an offensive rebound put back.

Game 8: No. 9 De La Salle (Concord) 71, No. 38 Crespi (Encino) 53

The Spartans opened their season in the marquee game of the 17th NorCal Tip-Off Classic and looked like a major contender to represent NorCal in the CIF Open Division title game on March 15 in Sacramento. Sure, it’s a long ways away, and whichever team represents SoCal might present a more formidable challenge than De La Salle faced on Saturday. Crespi, however, was a strong opponent that already had six regulation games under its belt.

When you have a player with the ability of Alec Blair, as De La Salle does, sometimes time away from the court and regulation games played doesn’t matter as Sparta was in control throughout and started their season with a resounding victory. Blair immediately put his imprint on the game with his interior passing, offensive rebounding and shot making ability. He’s a two-time returning all-state talent and has the best weapons around him in his four-year varsity career.

Senior forward David Balogun converted three quick buckets around the rim (with at least two assisted by Blair) and senior Bryce Patton hit open shots, as De La Salle moved the ball well on the perimeter and crashed the boards. Patton canned 5-of-7 field goals and nailed 3-pointers en route to 13 first half points (he did not attempt a field goal in the second half). De La Salle (1-0) led 39-25 at halftime and kept up the relentlessness in the second half.

The Spartans led 58-41 at the end of third period and were not seriously challenged in the final period. Blair, who has committed to Oklahoma and plans on playing both basketball and baseball at the next level, finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Nevada-bound Peyton White (the son of Cal Lutheran coach Russell White who previously led Crespi to two CIF state titles), led Crespi (5-2) with 22 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore Isaiah Barnes, the twin son of former NBA player Matt Barnes who was in attendance at Dublin High School, added 12 points.

Game 7: No. 11 Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) 85, Folsom 68

At this juncture of the season, teams from SoCal usually have played in a few more games than their NorCal counterparts, plus a myriad of fall league showcase games. Redondo Union is an improved team and experienced together, while Folsom was playing in its first game. Coach Mike Wall’s club was ready for the challenge and looked crisp, but simply couldn’t keep up with a team with more firepower.

Folsom (0-1) had a five point lead in the first quarter, but with 3:50 in the second period the Sea Hawks took a 37-26 lead on a lay-up by Hudson Mayes. From there, Folsom fought back and actually took a 41-40 lead on a twirling lay-up by UC-Davis bound Chase Rawlins to cap a 13-0 run.

The Sea Hawks, a major CIF Southern Section open division contender, finished the quarter strong, quickly regaining the lead and went into intermission ahead, 46-41. Just as it did on Friday night in its 85-52 win at the Thanksgiving Showcase over host Bishop O’Dowd, Redondo Union (4-0) picked up its pressure defense in the second half and it started to wear down the Bulldogs.

With 34 seconds to go in the third period, Redondo Union’s Brayden Miner hit a 3-pointer to give Redondo Union (2-0) a double-digit lead (64-53) heading int the final period. From there, the Sea Hawks maintained their comfortable position.

Junior Zach Khatib nailed six 3-pointers and all of them seemed to come right as Folsom looked to make a move and finished with 22 points. Junior guard Chace Holley, who starred on Lynwood’s 2023 D5 state title team and had 24 points vs. Bishop O’Dowd on Friday, finished with 19 points.

Rawlins led Folsom with 19 points while Joven Dulay, a 6-foot-6 junior, added 13.

Game 6: Dublin 57, No. 27 Destiny Christian (Sacramento) 55

The hosts were playing a state ranked club, one that will play in the top division at The Classic at Damien following Christmas, while also losing their best player to transfer (UC-Davis bound Jalen Stokes to Dougherty Valley of San Ramon). The scrappy Gaels came out strong, however, were seemingly in control and held at the end to secure a win in front of their home crowd.

Dublin was getting good shots and Destiny Christian was out of sorts early. Dublin led at halftime 31-20, but the Lions bounced back to take a 37-36 lead with 2:27 remaining in the third period on a 3-pointer by Jaylen Valdez, one of the better lead guards in NorCal. Valdez netted nine points in the quarter to lead Destiny Christian (0-1) back in the game. Valdez scored nine points in the third period and 11 in the fourth quarter to finish with a game-high 21 points. Myles Wiggins was Destiny Christian’s other double-digit scorer with 11 points.

Dublin (1-0) led 43-41 entering the final period and it was tied at 54-54 with under a minute remaining when 6-foot-8 junior Cameron Anderson gave the Gaels a 56-54 lead on a put back bucket. He kept alive plenty of possessions for Dublin in the second half, finishing with seven rebounds after intermission and nine points in the fourth period. The younger brother of former Dublin all-state standout Courtney Anderson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

With 30.6 seconds remaining, Valdez had a chance to tie the game, but made one of two free throws to make it 56-55. Destiny Christian had one final chance to potentially win the game, but with 6.3 seconds remaining, Dublin’s Jaiden Jones blocked a shot by Destiny’s Mohamed Kamara and was fouled on the sequence. After Jones made one of two free throws, the Lions’ last gasp was snuffed out when Ramir Raymore deflected the ball out of the hands of Destiny’s Fred Blue.

Game 5: No. 29 Lincoln (Stockton) 70,
No. 20 San Ramon Valley (Danville) 68 (OT)

It was a tale of two halves in a game involving two of NorCal’s best teams, and it was only fitting an additional four minutes was needed to decide the outcome. After trailing Lincoln, 18-16, after eight minutes, San Ramon Valley outscored the Trojans, 22-14, in the second eight minutes to take control of the game.

SRV then came back to take the lead at 25-24 on a Thomas Conley bucket after he hit two free throws to bring the Wolves within one point. His twin brother, senior Elliot Conley, scored the next bucket as Lincoln got a heavy dose of the Conley brothers in the first half. The duo scored 18 of SRV’s 40 points, while Weber State-bound Anthony Moore scored 15 of Lincoln’s 30 points in the first half.

The Trojans weren’t done, however, as the Sac Joaquin Section D1 runner-ups in 2023-24 came storming back. After trailing by 10 points at intermission, Moore hit a 3-pointer with 3:15 to go in the third period to give Lincoln a 46-43 lead on the back end of a 16-3 run. Lincoln entered the fourth period with a 51-50 lead, as it outscored the Wolves 21-10 in the third period.

The game came down to the wire with Lincoln holding a 61-59 lead with 1:30 remaining in the contest, when UC-Irvine bound Luke Isaak was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining. He made one of three, and Lincoln wasn’t able to convert on the other end. With 26.4 remaining, Lincoln was called for a loose ball foul on a defensive rebound attempt. The Wolves’ Mason Thomas was fouled on a jump shot attempt with 17.9 remaining and tied the game at 61-61 by making one free throw. Lincoln had one more chance in regulation, but Moore couldn’t get off a clean shot in the final seconds after getting the ball from Donez Lindsey with four seconds remaining.

Lincoln took advantage of a technical foul called with 2:12 remaining in overtime by Isaak after he missed a jump shot. Leading 65-64, Moore knocked down both free throws, but the Trojans couldn’t convert a field goal and SRV’s Thomas made two free throws to once again make it a one point game, 67-66, with Lincoln leading. Thomas got fouled again with 32.6 seconds to give the Wolves a 68-67 lead.

With 2.2 seconds remaining, Moore had seemingly no where to go in his team’s corner when he rose up, faded out of bounds and nailed a high-arching 3-pointer to account for the winning points. The Wolves didn’t get a clean look after 1.2 seconds was put back on the game clock.

Moore finished with a game-high 30 points for Lincoln (1-0). Sam Ramon Valley (0-1) was led by Thomas with 18 points, including 14 in the fourth period and in overtime. He scored all but one of his team’s points in overtime. Thomas Conley also added 18 points for SRV.

Game 4: Clayton Valley (Concord) 63, Weston Ranch (Stockton) 56

The Ugly Eagles are looking to show they are major North Coast Section open division contenders and are off to a successful start to their season with two victories at two different events over Thanksgiving weekend.

Clayton Valley controlled the contest and had a lead after one quarter (18-8) and halftime (29-21). Weston Ranch got to within five points (34-29) in the third period, before Utah State-bound Elijah Perryman scored on a curl move around the basket to keep the Cougars at bay.

Perryman, part of a terrific recruiting class for the Aggies, finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, as Clayton Valley kept its lead near double digits throughout the fourth period until Darrion Lilly hit a 3-pointer with 39.2 seconds remaining to cut the Cougars’ deficit to 59-53. Weston Ranch forced a five second violation on the next possession, but Clayton Valley’s Jett Tran came up with a steal and lay-up to seal matters.

Tran finished with 17 points, while Lilly led Weston Ranch (0-2) with 27 points.

Clayton Valley (2-0) opened its season on Friday evening with a 37-27 victory over Beverly Hills at the Bishop O’Dowd Thanksgiving Showcase where it substituted liberally and wasn’t really challenged.

Game 3: Santa Cruz 55, Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 44

In a matchup of teams both nicknamed Cardinals, it was the team from Santa Cruz County whose school opened in 1897 that came away with a hard-fought victory. It was the season-opener for a Santa Cruz program that lost to Alemany of Mission Hills in last year’s CIF D3 state championship.

Santa Cruz opened up an 18-point lead late in the game, but Cardinal Newman got its deficit down to 51-44 with just ender two minutes remaining. It just could get no closer as the Cardinals were in the bonus at that time.

Demarco Hunter, a 6-foot-6 junior, gave Santa Cruz a 36-27 lead on a conventional 3-point play and on its next possession, Santa Cruz (1-0) opened up a double-digit lead on a lay-up by senior Liam Jones to make it 38-27. Santa Cruz led 40-29 entering the fourth period after holding a three points lead (25-22) at halftime.

Hunter finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots for Santa Cruz in an impressive performance.

Senior Diego Flores Gonzalez led three Cardinal Newman players in double digits with 11 points. Cardinal Newman shot 32 percent (17-of-53) from the field. Cardinal Newman (1-1) opened up its season with a 56-39 victory over Oakland on Friday evening at the Bishop O’Dowd Thanksgiving Showcase.

Game 2: No. 39 St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 80, Vanden (Fairfield) 60

The Vikings couldn’t slow down S.I. from the field, as the Wildcats got good looks and converted many of them uncontested. St. Ignatius was also credited with with making 10-of-23 on 3-point field goals.

Highly-regarded junior Raymond Whitley led the way with 28 points and two steals for a preseason state-ranked club that will look to challenge preseason No. 8 Riordan for the WCAL crown.

Six-foot-7 junior Matthew Wright led Vanden (0-2) with 13 points. The Vikings got within six points in the third period, but trailed 61-50 entering the fourth period. St Ignatius (1-0) led 44-33 at halftime.

Game 1: Ygnacio Valley (Concord) 58 Branson (Ross) 52

Senior Antonio Kellogg Jr., one of the top unsigned NorCal seniors and the son of the former McClymonds standout by the same name, had 16 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks for the Wolves.

In a competitive game that was close until the closing minutes, the game was clinched when 6-foot-7 Preston Oliver converted a big conventional three-point play with 2:20 to go to give Ygnacio Valley (1-0) a 55-47 lead. Oliver finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

Branson (0-1) had three players in double figures led by junior Chase Robertson with 14 points and sophomore guard N.J. Gray with 13 points.

RELATED: To see 2024-25 preseason state rankings, CLICK HERE ; To see the list of major tournaments and showcases involving California’s best teams, CLICK HERE; To see a list of all-time preseason No. 1 boys basketball teams (since 1979-80), CLICK HERE ; To see the vast list of transfers that will impact the 2024-25 season, CLICK HERE

Ronnie Flores is the managing editor of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores