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After last Friday night’s huge win over Pinole Valley, one could have expected the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team to have a bit of a letdown against Alameda on Tuesday, and it happened. But the ’Jackets managed to slog through a lackluster effort to get the win anyway, 68-57. 

It wasn’t as easy as the final score might suggest. After a nice run in the second quarter gave them a 32-20 lead at halftime, the ’Jackets’ normally tight defense slacked off, allowing Alameda to score 22 points in the third quarter and get back within a point. But the Hornets couldn’t quite get over the hump, and Berkeley (15-7, 9-1 ACCAL) pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run. 

“We got away with one tonight, because we came out absolutely flat,” Berkeley head coach Mike Gragnani said. “We played with no urgency on defense for the entire game.” 

Berkeley forward Robert Hunter-Ford led the way with 17 points. Hunter-Ford, who got the start with K.K. Alexander in street clothes along with Khion Tate for missing practice , was a force inside, also pulling down 5 rebounds. 

“I got some more playing time, and the coaches told me to come out hard,” Hunter-Ford said. “I just came out aggressive and worked hard for my points.” 

Berkeley also got a big contribution from center Damien Burns, who had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, and Nate Simmons, who had 12 points and was 2-for-2 from the 3-point line. 

Hunter-Ford, who plays defensive line on Berkeley High’s football team, used his muscle effectively in the second quarter, scoring 9 points in a 17-4 Berkeley run. But Alameda (12-10, 6-4) answered back with guard Bryan Brooks, who poured in 9 points of his own in the third quarter as the Hornets mounted a comeback. Brooks led the Hornets with 17 points, with Julius Johnson and Eric Timney scoring 10 points each. 

Timney actually had a chance to tie the game with a free throw in the final minute of the third quarter, but stepped over the line for a violation. Berkeley guard Dontae Hall, all 5-foot-10 of him, went among the tall trees for two putbacks to give the ’Jackets some cushion heading into the final stanza. Hall finished with 11 points. 

Alameda got back within a point on a dunk by Johnson early in the fourth, but Berkeley went on a quick 9-0 run, capped by a putback by Hunter-Ford, and never led by less than 9 points again. Berkeley hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to ensure there wouldn’t be a second Alameda comeback. 

Gragnani said he expected a bit of a hangover from the Pinole Valley game, but knows his team can’t afford to slip if they expect a North Coast Section playoff berth. 

“We have to bring intensity to practice every day, and only think about that day,” Gragnani said. “We have to go to war at practice tomorrow.”