The Alameda High School (AHS) men’s basketball team scored an impressive 71-55 victory over San Leandro High School (SLHS) on Jan. 6.

The Hornets were able to get on top of the Pirates early in the contest and maintain the lead. AHS led 23-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Hornets went on an 11-0 run to end the first quarter. Senior point guard, Ivan Yu, hit two, three-pointers during the run, while senior center, Nick Rondenet, hit one of his three first-quarter three-pointers during the closing stretch. Rondenet was also strong on the defensive end. He had two blocks in the first half.

AHS led 52-32 at the end of the third quarter. The Hornets size was too much for the Pirates. They outrebounded their opponents, 59 to 21. AHS also out shot San Leandro. They shot 45% from the field to just 34% by SLHS.

The Hornets moved to 6-3 overall. They will take on St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) Friday at the Hornet’s Nest.

The SJND men’s team (4-6) has been off since their thrilling 50-48 victory over Freedom High of Oakley on Dec. 28. The Pilots were down 48-47 with less than a minute to go when they converted a three-point play to give them the lead and victory. The win was key for SJND because it stopped a three-game losing streak. They suffered a 69-41 loss to Valley Christian of San Jose on Dec. 16, a 60-39 loss to Miramonte High of Orinda on Dec. 21 and a 65-46 loss to Menlo-Atherton High School on Dec. 22. The matchup between the Hornets and Pilots has added significance because the two teams are now league opponents in the West Alameda County Conference Foothill League. SJND was in the Bay Counties East league.

The Encinal High School (EHS) men’s team is coming off a long break to take on Arroyo High of San Lorenzo. The Jets had a couple games postponed and will play five games in nine days. They took on Mt. Eden High Hayward on Wednesday, Jan. 12 and Arroyo on Jan. 13, then will face Pinole Valley High School on Saturday, Jan. 15, San Lorenzo High School on Jan. 19 and Hayward High School on Jan. 21.
The team took this extended break at a bad time because they were on a roll. They won four of their last five including a 46-41 overtime win over SJND on Dec. 4. They beat Berkeley High School, 48-42, on Dec. 8, beat Sonoma Walley High School, 51-50, on Dec. 11, and beat Piedmont, 60-40, on Dec. 17. Their lone defeat during this stretch was a 41-39 loss to St. Mary’s of Albany on Dec. 16. The Jets are 4-3 overall.

Women’s Basketball
The EHS women’s basketball team endured a devastating 77-34 loss to Piedmont High School (8-3) on Monday, Jan. 10. The loss drops the Jets to 3-5 overall. The loss was a bit of a surprise for the Jets as they had won three of its previous four games. They beat SJND, 64-7, on Dec. 21 and finished second in the West Coast Jamboree (“Jets Finish Second at Holiday Jamboree,” Jan. 6) with a 2-1 record. They defeated College Park High of Pleasant Hill, 70-27, on Dec. 28 and Head-Royce of Oakland, 50-44, on Dec. 29, before losing to Miramonte High, 72-58, on Dec. 30.

The Jets will take on Castro Valley High School on Friday in its next contest.

Both SJND and AHS teams have had long layoffs since their last games. SJND (1-4) will take on Berkeley High School on Friday, Jan. 21 in their next game. AHS (5-1) will face EHS on Saturday, Jan. 15.