Berry leads LPC over Mendo in Tip-Off Classic opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mendocino (0-1) | 35 | 30 | 65 |
|
Las Positas (2-0) | 39 | 42 | 81 |
Aaron Berry scored 18 points Thursday night to lead LPC into the semifinals of the Tony Costello Tip-Off Classic with an 81-65 victory over Mendocino in Livermore.
The Hawks (2-0) take on Sacramento City, an 84-81 winner over Siskiyous in another first-round game, at 5 p.m. Friday for an opportunity to play for the tournament title.
In the 7 p.m. semifinal Friday, Butte, which beat Diablo Valley 71-66, will take on Columbia. Columbia defeated Contra Costa 74-73 on a buzzer-beater.
LPC fell behind early against Mendocino, trailing by 8 before surging to a 21-19 lead with 6:50 left in the first half. The Hawks built an 11-point advantage before settling for a 39-35 halftime lead.
It was 41-37 before McKayle Harnell hit a three-pointer, Kameron Johnson made 1 of 2 free throws, Keith Hunter scored on a layup, and Berry followed in his own miss to make the score 49-37.
Berry then converted a three-point play, and Harnell hit another three to give LPC its biggest lead of the game to that point at 55-39 five minutes into the second half.
Mendocino went on a 9-1 run seven minutes later to pull within 61-53 with 8:46 remaining. But the Hawks then put the game away by scoring 14 of the game’s next 19 points, making it 75-58. The Eagles never got closer than within 11 points after that.
Cameron Moses finished with 15 points for the Hawks, and Harnell added 14.
In the consolation bracket Friday, Diablo Valley takes on Contra Costa at 1 p.m., followed by Mendocino against Siskiyous at 3.
