Salesian Basketball Teams Win League Championships

RICHMOND, Calif. - Feb. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- Salesian College Preparatory, a leading San Francisco Bay Area Catholic high school, announced today that its boys and girls basketball teams won Tri-County Athletic League championships this past weekend. The girls team defeated St. Mary’s College High School (Albany) with a score of 72-39, and the boys basketball team defeated El Cerrito High School 66-62 in overtime. Both games were played at Hercules High School in front of a packed house.

The girls team’s championship win against rival St. Mary’s was impressive. “It was a total team effort, our best of the year so far,” said Head Coach Steve Pezzola. “All twelve players contributed to the victory.”  The team has five freshmen and three sophomores together with four seniors.  Team chemistry is something that Coach Pezzola believes is critical to success. The team earned a 10-0 league record for the third consecutive year and hopes to qualify once again for the NorCal championship either in the Open Division or in Division IV.

The Salesian boys’ victory marked an undefeated season in league play and the team extended its winning streak to 17 games. The game was a thriller, with lead changes up until the final minutes of overtime. “We’ve played a lot of close games this year, but our guys always find a way to win,” said Head Coach Bill Mellis.  “Our players are young but they know how to persevere.”

Both Salesian teams now advance to the North Coast Section Playoffs as number one seeds. The girls team has a first-round bye and will play in the quarterfinal game on Saturday, February 27 at Salesian College Preparatory. The boys team will face off against Roseland University Prep of Santa Rosa on Wednesday, February 24 at 7 pm at Salesian College Preparatory.

Voted Best Faith-Based High School in the East Bay by Parents’ Press magazine, Salesian College Preparatory is known for its commitment to academics, faith and family and shaping the next generation of doctors, lawyers, business leaders, teachers and parents.  For more information about the school, please visit www.salesian.com.