Boys basketball: Tam rallies past San Rafael in MCAL tune-up

Tam High withstood a furious attack from Luke Shapiro and the San Rafael Bulldogs for a 64-61 non-league victory Saturday in Mill Valley that gave both teams a taste of how intense the competition for an MCAL playoff spot will be this season.

“This was a non-league game that felt like a league game,” Tam head coach Tim Morgan said. “We’re going to see San Rafael again soon (Jan. 27) in league, so it should be another good game.”

Tam led the entire first half, before San Rafael mounted a furious comeback in the third quarter behind Luke Shapiro, who scored 27 of his game-high 30 points in the second half.

The Red-tailed Hawks’ Porthos Oliveira sparked a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that rallied Tam to a 56-49 lead. Oliveira led Tam (6-7) with 21 points, while Elliott Krueger had 18.

Krueger came up with the defensive rebound and the Red-tailed Hawks got the ball to Oliveira at the other end for the layup. Krueger then got the steal on the inbounds for the go-ahead basket, 50-49. The Red-tailed Hawks turned up the pressure at both ends of the court to grab the momentum while they could.

“Elliott Krueger’s defense was key,” Morgan said. “He worked hard on Shapiro, forcing him to take tough shots. And then Porthos came up with the big shots when we needed them.”

Shapiro kept San Rafael within a basket of tying the game down the stretch. But the Bulldogs missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.

Wyatt Tornello posted 14 points and 10 rebounds for San Rafael (6-5).

“I’m not worried about this game,” Shapiro said. “We have a good team.”

Shapiro had been shackled in the first half, but broke loose in the third quarter. He opened the second half with a steal, then going coast to coast for the layup. He followed with a jumper to give the Bulldogs their first lead two minutes into the second half. The Bulldogs’ leading scorer was just warming up, as he took control of the game.

The Red-tailed Hawks could see the game slipping away, but 3-pointers by Cole Bester kept Tam within striking distance. His shot from beyond the arc tied the game at 44-44 with 1:20 left in the third quarter before Shapiro put five more points on the scoreboard. But the pendulum was already starting to swing for the Hawks.

Both Tam and San Rafael will be seeking to end league playoff droughts in February and the MCAL is shaping up to a battle for the bottom three berths.

“The goal is to fight for one of the last playoff spots,” Morgan said. “San Rafael is going to be tough, and we have to be prepared for a fight.”