Oakwood boys basketball has been on fire the past three years and they keep reaching higher and higher. The Hawks ascended to the top division of the four-level Pacific Coast Athletic League for the 2023-24 season and have improved each year, while also excelling in the playoffs.
In their first Gabilan Division campaign, Oakwood was a bit overmatched and finished 3-9, but rolled through the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs to the school’s first CCS title. Additionally, that edition won two CIF NorCal Division V games and advanced to the NorCal semifinals.
Last year’s squad improved to a 7-7 mark in league play and reached the CCS semifinals, beating St. Francis of Watsonville but losing to Priory.
This year’s squad finished the week at 4-1 in Gabilan action, a game behind powerful Palma. It is an incredible achievement to be in the elite of the PCAL, a 31-team, four-division league. Oakwood has just 171 high school students, compared to enrollments such as 3,448 at Hollister, 2,791 at Alisal and 2,446 at Salinas.
“We’ve gotten off to an amazing start,” said coach David Clink, after beating Carmel on January 7. “The pre-season was competitive. We’d like to contend for the league championship. Palma’s the team to beat in league. Our main goal is to win in CCS.”
The Hawks are getting contributions from a deep crew, led by point guard Damion Brown, 6-foot-8 center Shaan Gil and two explosive and versatile scoring machines in Noah Lopez and Bryce Smith-Keeney.
Beyond that quartet, there are other crucial players, including Joey Maggi, Michael Pereira, Lochlan Ezzell and Jacob Salgado in the backcourt and Nate Carlson, Logan Clink, Luke Hansotte and Paule Rajkovic up front.
In the pre-season, Oakwood ran the table. The Hawks beat North Monterey County, MacDonald, Seaside, Terra Nova, Scotts Valley, Harbor, King City, Anzar and Live Oak.
In the league opener on Jan. 5, Oakwood edged Monterey 66-63 in a thriller. Smith-Keeney led the offense with 23 points and Lopez added 16. Brown scored 11 and Gil put in 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Two days later, the Hawks traveled to the coast and held off a feisty Carmel Padres squad 69-62. Smith-Keeney shot 8-for-15 and totaled 23 points. Lopez tallied 13 and Gil added 12 points and nine rebounds, with Carlson delivering nine points and six boards.
“Road games are always tough,” Lopez said. “We played as a team and got the job done. We moved the ball and rebounded well. It’s been a great season and we’re going to try to keep it rolling.”
Brown, Maggi and Ezzell were unavailable that night and coach Clink had to utilize his depth. The bench guys played prominent roles and came through.
“A lot of guys stepped up tonight,” coach Clink said. “Jacob played a key role, filling in. Michael was a key player; he can play a variety of positions for us. Bryce hit some big shots for us and Shaan played well in the post.”
Oakwood returned home and rallied past Pacific Grove 71-63. The Hawks trailed 37-30 at half and 48-47 after three quarters but dominated the fourth period for the win.
Lopez had a monster game, shooting 11-for-20 and scoring 25 points. Gil and Salgado each scored 11, with Smith-Keeney coming through with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Oakwood next traveled south to the Salinas area to take down the Alisal Trojans. The Hawks led 34-25 at halftime and then put the game away with a 20-13 advantage in the third period. Gil was rolling inside with 18 points and nine rebounds, as was Carlson with 10 points and six boards.
On Jan. 15, the Hawks hosted powerful Palma. Oakwood led 18-17 after one quarter and trailed just 35-29 at halftime. However, the Chieftains pulled away after that, building an 11-point lead after three periods and winning 71-57. Lopez and Smith-Keeney each scored 11, with Rajkovic and Brown both contributing 10. Gil had eight rebounds.
The standings show Palma in the lead, then Oakwood in second with Monterey in third. PG is in fourth, Watsonville is in fifth and Salinas, Carmel and Alisal are further back.
A large part of the Gabilan season remains. The Hawks know they must focus on every single game. During the week of Jan. 19, they will host Salinas before they travel to a solid Watsonville team on Friday.
Given the nailbiter in the first match with Monterey, a return contest with the Toreadores over on the coast on Jan. 27 will be quite a battle. The same applies to the Pacific Grove Breakers on Feb. 2.
The latter part of the schedule includes a visit to Palma on Feb. 6 and the regular season finale against the Watsonville Wildcatz at home on Feb. 12.
“We have a very tough league,” said Pereira, after the Carmel game. “We need to stay calm and trust ourselves and our coaches. Trust the system and continue to play patient. We run plays a lot. Get downhill if plays break down. Coach trusts us to make something happen.”
And the program’s future is very bright, as 12 of the 15 players are underclassmen.
Girls undefeated in league
It’s a double delightful winter for Hawk Nation on the hardwood. The Oakwood girls team is also having an excellent season. Through early action, they have put together a 10-2 record, highlighted by a 5-0 first-place ledger in the PCAL Santa Lucia Division.
Victories have come over Granada twice, Yerba Buena, Greenfield and Lick in non-league games and over Anzar, Chartwell, CCPA, Notre Dame and Monterey Bay Academy in league contests.
The Oakwood roster includes guards Kailee Barlics, Charlotte Hoshii, Ria Deshpande, Gabby Zelenyak, Natalia Chavez and Olivia Wong, along with forwards Georgia Alves, Mikeyla Coley and Luci Bonino.
Volleyball star Isabelle Anderson and Cici Chen are at center. Oakwood also has versatile combo players, with Gianna Garcia at guard or forward and Arya Vaid at forward or center.
