Two years removed from an 8-18 boys basketball season in which they won two league games, the Northgate Broncos have served notice that those days are a distant memory.
Tuesday night in its home gym, the Walnut Creek school cooled off one of the Bay Area’s hottest teams.
Northgate, ranked eighth by the Bay Area News Group, held off No. 3 Miramonte 60-54 behind the likes of Luke Joseph, Brady Cook, Thayne Merrill and Dylan Chung.
The result improved the Broncos’ record to 14-2 overall and 4-0 in the Diablo Athletic League’s Foothill Division.
Miramonte, which had won its previous nine games, dropped to 15-2, 2-1.
The game was tight throughout.
Northgate led 21-15 after the first quarter. The score was tied 28-28 at halftime, and Northgate nudged in front 41-38 after the third quarter.
Joseph scored 16 points to lead the Broncos. Cook and Merrill each finished with 14 points.
Merrill scored nine in the first quarter, and Cook sank 9 of 10 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Chung chipped in with 10 points.
James Frye had 18 points for Miramonte, including seven in the first quarter and seven in the fourth.
Tyler Dutto added 16 points for the Mats.
Both teams play top-ranked Campolindo, the Foothill Division’s reigning champion, next week. Northgate visits Campo on Jan. 26, and Miramonte plays at Campo on Jan. 28.
No. 1 Campolindo 65, Acalanes 48
Playing for the third time in four days, Campolindo continued to roll along as the Cougars stretched their winning streak to seven games with a victory at home over Acalanes in DAL Foothill Division play.
Matt Radell scored 16 points and Shane O’Reilly and Cade Bennett each finished with 13 points to lead Campo, which has won 32 of its last 33 games.
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Campo travels to Las Lomas on Thursday and plays Vanden in the Crush in the Valley at Contra Costa College on Saturday. The Cougars then have three home league games next week — College Park on Monday, followed by the big ones against Northgate and Miramonte.
Elsewhere
Aidan Braccia scored 19 points as fifth-ranked Sacred Heart Prep rallied to defeat host Priory 47-44 in West Bay Athletic League play. The Gators improved to 9-2, 2-0. Priory is 7-8, 3-2. … Mountain View stayed undefeated in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division play, rallying in the second half at home to defeat No. 18 Los Altos 48-47. Joe Brown’s 3-pointer with 22 seconds left put Mountain View in front. The senior finished with 19 points. Jake Skaggs had 17 points for Los Altos, which fell to 12-3, 3-1. Mountain View is 11-4, 3-0. … Clayton Valley Charter, which had lost four of its previous six games, cruised on the road past College Park 77-39 in DAL Foothill Division action.
Girls basketball
No. 8 San Ramon Valley 74, No. 9 Monte Vista 49
San Ramon Valley, playing on its home court in Danville, stretched its winning streak to 11 games with a rout of rival Monte Vista in East Bay Athletic League play. Natalie Pasco — last spring’s Bay Area News Group player of the year — led the Wolves with 22 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Sierra Chambers (14 points, five assists), Sadie Carter (12 points, six rebounds), Sofia Bowes (13 points) and Allison Stern (10 points) also scored in double figures for SRV.
No. 5 Pinewood 88, The King’s Academy 34
Pinewood set a school record with 19 3-pointers (41 attempts) on its way to a rout at home over The King’s Academy in WBAL play. Sophomore Alex Facelo had six 3-pointers in 10 attempts to finish with 18 points. Elle Ladine had four 3-pointers and led the Panthers with 23 points. Seven Pinewood players made at least one shot from beyond the arc as the Panthers ran their record to 8-1, 3-0. TKA is 6-10, 0-4.
Mitty soccer coach honored
Archbishop Mitty’s J.T. Hanley had already received a letter last fall from the National Federation of State High School Associations about state recognition he’d received. So when another letter arrived over the weekend from the same organization, he assumed it was a duplicate.
It was not.
The second letter notified the longtime and highly successful Hanley that he had been named national girls soccer coach of the year by the NFHS.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Hanley said Tuesday. “I am super honored. I am super flattered. It’s not something that I’d ever particularly imagined.”
Now in his 15th season at Mitty — and 27th overall — Hanley has led his teams to more than 450 victories. He has won eight Central Coast Section championships since taking over at Mitty in 2007, including one last spring. He also won a North Coast Section championship at Bishop O’Dowd.
“It’s been a great ride,” Hanley said. “I don’t have any plans to pull the plug anytime soon.”
