Confident Cougars: Campolindo dominates Acalanes in emotional rivalry game​on January 25, 2025 at 8:21 am

Bay Area high school basketball: Gavin Rendle scores 16 points to lead Campolindo to a statement win over Acalanes on the road.   

LAFAYETTE – As Gavin Rendle knocked down a 30-foot dagger to end Acalanes’ hopes of a fourth-quarter comeback, the senior looked at Campolindo’s student section standing behind the Cougars’ bench and raised both arms, as if to say, ‘Are you not entertained?’

Rendle and Campolindo put on a masterclass on both ends of the floor, defeating Acalanes – the top team in the Diablo Athletic League – 57-37 in front of a packed gym to give the Cougars a statement win. 

“Today was just an emotional day,” Rendle said. “It’s two crosstown rivals and we knew we needed to show up since we were the underdogs. 

“I think we showed them who the better team was.”

Rendle led Campolindo with 16 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Senior guard Ren Marchetti added 13 points and five boards. Forward Luke Devine had 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. 

The rivalry game was full of emotions as the overflow crowd at Chris Huber Court injected the small gymnasium with playoff-like energy. Campolindo came into Friday’s game with something to prove after dropping two of its previous three games. 

“Everyone said we lost our talent from last year and I think that’s just BS at the end of the day,” Rendle said. “I think if we work hard, we have the talent that we need to win a league tournament.” 

Marchetti added, “I did think we were the tougher team, and I don’t think it was just tonight. I think our program just knows how to win. Our program just has a great culture.”

Both teams were locked at 12 after the first quarter, but Campolindo’s guard play gave the Cougars a big boost in the second period. 

Campolindo used a 12-3 run in the middle of the second, capped off by an ankle-breaking move to the bucket by Rendle that gave the Cougars a 11-point lead. 

The four-guard quartet of Rendle, Marchetti, Phin Kofman and Peyton Beld combined for 12 of Campolindo’s 20 second quarter points, giving the Cougars a 32-21 lead at halftime. 

A back-and-forth third quarter kept Acalanes within striking distance, but Campolindo put on a clinic in the final eight minutes of play. 

The Moraga school opened the fourth with a 10-2 run and took a 20-point lead on a pair of Rendle free throws. 

In the waning stages of the final period, the energy from the home team slowly started to fade. As Campolindo fans started to chant, ‘We can’t hear you,’ to the opposing student section, Acalanes responded by yelling back, ‘Let’s play football,’ referencing the Acalanes’ two wins over Campolindo in the Fall. 

When Rendle’s long bomb cleared the bottom of the net, the game was over even though there were still over two minutes left on the clock. Rendle’s shot gave Campolindo a 22-point lead – the Cougars’ biggest advantage of the night – and sealed a gutsy road win. 

Despite having the smaller player in almost every position, Campolindo outrebounded Acalanes 29-22. In the fourth quarter, Campolindo held Acalanes to just seven points. 

“Acalanes is taller than us, so we knew we had to at least make the rebound battle even,” said head coach Steven Dyer. “I was just really impressed with our poise all day.”

Friday’s loss snapped Acalanes’ eight-game win streak. The Lafayette school also dropped to second in the league standings behind Las Lomas, which beat Benicia by 55-54 on Friday. 

“Going in, I knew we were going to learn something about ourselves,” Acalanes coach Bill Powers said. “We’re new to this. We were 9-19 last year. This is new territory for us, being atop of the DAL. So what I took away is, I got to do better job coaching. We’ve got to be better. And this is a great lesson for this team.”

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LAFAYETTE – As Gavin Rendle knocked down a 30-foot dagger to end Acalanes’ hopes of a fourth-quarter comeback, the senior looked at Campolindo’s student section standing behind the Cougars’ bench and raised both arms, as if to say, ‘Are you not entertained?’

Rendle and Campolindo put on a masterclass on both ends of the floor, defeating Acalanes – the top team in the Diablo Athletic League – 57-37 in front of a packed gym to give the Cougars a statement win. 

“Today was just an emotional day,” Rendle said. “It’s two crosstown rivals and we knew we needed to show up since we were the underdogs. 

“I think we showed them who the better team was.”

Rendle led Campolindo with 16 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Senior guard Ren Marchetti added 13 points and five boards. Forward Luke Devine had 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. 

The rivalry game was full of emotions as the overflow crowd at Chris Huber Court injected the small gymnasium with playoff-like energy. Campolindo came into Friday’s game with something to prove after dropping two of its previous three games. 

“Everyone said we lost our talent from last year and I think that’s just BS at the end of the day,” Rendle said. “I think if we work hard, we have the talent that we need to win a league tournament.” 

Marchetti added, “I did think we were the tougher team, and I don’t think it was just tonight. I think our program just knows how to win. Our program just has a great culture.”

Both teams were locked at 12 after the first quarter, but Campolindo’s guard play gave the Cougars a big boost in the second period. 

Campolindo used a 12-3 run in the middle of the second, capped off by an ankle-breaking move to the bucket by Rendle that gave the Cougars an 11-point lead. 

The four-guard quartet of Rendle, Marchetti, Phin Kofman and Peyton Beld combined for 12 of Campolindo’s 20 second-quarter points, giving the Cougars a 32-21 lead at halftime. 

A back-and-forth third quarter kept Acalanes within striking distance, but Campolindo put on a clinic in the final eight minutes of play. 

The Moraga school opened the fourth with a 10-2 run and took a 20-point lead on a pair of Rendle free throws. 

In the waning stages of the final period, the energy from the home team slowly started to fade. As Campolindo fans started to chant, ‘We can’t hear you,’ to the opposing student section, Acalanes responded by yelling back, ‘Let’s play football,’ referencing Acalanes’ two wins over Campolindo in the fall. 

When Rendle’s long bomb cleared the bottom of the net, the game was over even though there were still over two minutes left on the clock. Rendle’s shot gave Campolindo a 22-point lead – the Cougars’ biggest advantage of the night – and sealed a gutsy road win. 

Despite having the smaller player in almost every position, Campolindo outrebounded Acalanes 29-22. In the fourth quarter, Campolindo held Acalanes to just seven points. 

“Acalanes is taller than us, so we knew we had to at least make the rebound battle even,” said head coach Steven Dyer. “I was just really impressed with our poise all day.”

Friday’s loss snapped Acalanes’ eight-game win streak. The Lafayette school also dropped to second in the league standings behind Las Lomas, which beat Benicia by 55-54 on Friday. 

“Going in, I knew we were going to learn something about ourselves,” Acalanes coach Bill Powers said. “We’re new to this. We were 9-19 last year. This is new territory for us, being atop of the DAL. So what I took away is, I got to do better job coaching. We’ve got to be better. And this is a great lesson for this team.”