‘I’m not going home’: Oakland Tech digs deep, denies Milpitas to advance to NorCal D2 second round

OAKLAND — The words are impossible to miss in Oakland Tech’s gym, splashed across the wall in purple and yellow bold lettering.

“Ain’t nothin’ but the dog in me.” 

On Tuesday night, with their season teetering and a 34-point scorer snarling on the other side, the Bulldogs decided to live by the motto. They scratched back, bit down, and when the moment demanded it, they bared their teeth. 

Senior Jasen David made sure of it. 

In a 71-68 win over Milpitas in the first round of the NorCal Division II playoffs, Tech channeled every ounce of its mascot’s mentality. Even as Milpitas star Dylan Nguyen poured 30 of his 34 points through three quarters, Tech never flinched. Davis erupted for 14 of his 29 points in the fourth, and the Bulldogs clamped Nguyen to just four in the final period as they turned a shootout into a standoff. 

For Davis, it was personal. For Tech, it was proof that when the game tightens, there’s nothing left but the dog in them.

“All I was saying the whole fourth quarter was, ‘I’m not going home,’” Davis said. “The mindset I had in my head was just to win and do whatever it takes to get to the next level.” 

Point guard Kesyn Haggins scored 11 points, dished out six assists and had five rebounds for Tech. Milpitas got 14 points and three steals from junior Jelani North.   

Tech looked like the more dominant team in the first half, but Milpitas wouldn’t let the Bulldogs pull away. 

A 10-2 run to open the game gave Tech an early advantage, but Milpitas closed the game to four by the end of the first quarter. 

The Bulldogs used another quick scoring spurt, opening the second quarter with a 12-5 run. A fast break layup from senior Kingston High made the score 29-17 in favor of the home team. 

But once again, Milpitas closed the quarter with a run of its own. From that point, the Trojans outscored Tech 11-2 to end the first half down just three. 

The start of the second half became a shootout with neither team able to gain much of an edge as the lead changed hands multiple times in the third quarter. Ngyuen’s array of pull-up jumpers, floaters and herky jerky shots near the rim gave Tech fits going into the fourth quarter. 

With its season on the line and a raucous home crowd behind them, the Bulldogs rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter. 

Davis opened the quarter, hitting four consecutive 3-pointers. Tech used the same pick-and-pop action to get Davis an open look from the top of the key and he made good on each of his shots.

“I knew I was going to get a mismatch and I knew that they had to recover,” Tech point guard Brandon Woodards, who assisted on all four of Davis’ 3-pointers, said. “Jasen’s my shooter. He’s been my best friend for years. He and I have great chemistry.”

Milpitas had one last punch to throw in the final minute. A steal-and-score from North with 56.2 seconds left cut the deficit to just one. On Tech’s final possession, Davis banked home a layup while getting fouled but missed the free throw to convert the 3-point play, leaving the door open for Milpitas to tie in the waning seconds. 

On its final possession, Milpitas got a good look at the basket from the top of the key but the ball came off the back iron as Tech secured the win. 

“Milpitas kept coming and they showed some will to win,” Tech coach Karega Hart said. “It’s NorCal time and it’s going to be like that every game. It’s a lot we got to clean up, but we’re working and we hope to get better for the next game.” 

For Milpitas, Tuesday’s loss ends one of the best seasons in school history. The Trojans finished the season 26-2 to go along with a league and CCS Division I title. 

The season was especially special for coach Champ Wrencher, who has appreciated the journey the program has taken since he took over in 2007. 

“This season meant a lot, especially because it was built from the bottom,” Wrencher said. “I’ve had two or three teams that ended up winning seven games. I’ve been there for the really low points. It’s good to be here for the high points and see the trajectory that we went on. It’s been pretty cool.”